


A Month Of Truth: Narrated by Lance and Pidge

by HunterWizard



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Crush, Ballroom Dancing, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Confessional, Confessions, Crushes, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Declarations Of Love, Dorks in Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, First Crush, First Dance, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, Friendship/Love, Honesty, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Idiots in Love, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Love, Love Confessions, Mission Fic, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Pining Lance (Voltron), Post-Kerberos Mission, Rescue Missions, Romantic Fluff, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt, Secret Crush, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Teasing, Teen Crush, Truth Serum, Truth Spells, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 03:31:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13204956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterWizard/pseuds/HunterWizard
Summary: Done for the Voltron Rarepair Bang 2017 with @mclanchez-dictionary on Tumblr---When Pidge and Lance team up for a ground mission and end up in face-to-face with Prince Lotor and his general Ezor, they expect certain death. They certainly don't expect a truth spell potion to the face.And thus ushers in a spell that brings a month of team annoyances, dangerously loose tongues and romantic revelations that Pidge and Lance never really believed existed.Question: Is the unconditional truth always a good thing?Pidge and Lance are about to figure that out.-----PIDGE:Princess Allura expected Lance and I to chronicle what happened in the past month. So here is our third-person, detailed account, interspersed with comedic and-warning-occasionally R rated commentary from Lance and I.You have been warned.-----Art by the talented @mclanchez-dictionary (on tumblr) for the Voltron Rarepair Bang 2017





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, here is my submission for the Voltron Rarepair Bang 2017 with @mclanchez-dictionary! Go check them out, they're honestly so talented and dedicated!

**VOICEOVER #1:**

Pidge Gunderson here.

This month has been freAKING HELL. It's been so confusing and hormonal that the princess and Shiro made me do this damn video documentary about it. To reflect or something.

I'm telling this from two sides of the story. Lance's and mine. I don't know when that idiot is joining me to do this, but when he does...let's just say that you'll know.

_Hey, Pidge!_

Oh my god, Lance, no, go away-mmphf!

_You liked that._

Shut-shut up-! Okay, now, I'm making this narrative to tell the truth, and complete truth about the events happening over a single month.

_Let's go!_

Coming!

**VOICEOVER #1-END**

**~~~**

**DAY 1:**

"LANCE!"

Pidge's voice is unexpectedly loud as she cleanly sweeps under the legs of a soldier, hooking his legs with her grappling hook and pulling him clean out.  
Lance, the intended target, breathes a sigh of relief. He dusts himself off, flashing a familiar smile Pidge's way.

It's a nice smile.

"Thanks, Pidgeon-"

Pidge, distracted, nearly doesn't notice the swinging blade aiming for Lance's neck.

"Watch out!"

Her swift hands snatch out, grabbing Lance's chest from behind and yanking him towards her, his back pressing against her chest.

Pidge kicks the solider away, electrocuting him with her bayard and grabbing Lance's hand.

"Come on!" she shouts, yanking him and taking off at breakneck speed, racing through mazes of modern looking blue-black coloured buildings, the bright pink sky casting its colour to the society below.

Pidge can't help but marvel at the sight of the technology as she runs, but saddens at the thought that Lotor and his dear ol' dad Zarkon destroying the place. Lotor and Allura had both targeted Galaxor, a famously wealthy and prosperous planet, at the same time. The difference was that one sought an alliance and the other sought invasion and takeover. 

Lance grips onto her hand tight, lanky fingers clutching hers with an unexpected strength.

"I wonder how Hunk and Allura are doing," Lance muses aloud, casually slinging a shot at a wayward Galra (obviously, it's a perfect headshot) as they continue their race, taking him out with no problem.

He and Pidge were obviously going to find Lotor first. The plan was that the three pairs, the third being Shiro and Keith, would set off to locate Lotor and wait for the rest to arrive.

With someone as amazing as Pidge, how could they not get there first?

"-and I hope Shiro or Allura have already gotten there," Pidge finished, not realising that Lance was staring at her and not listening at all. He shakes his head, blinking to wake himself up.

"Nah, Pidgeon,  _we're_  going to get there first!" Lance teases. Pidge squints, curling her upper lip. Seriously, this doofus never had any humility whatsoever, did he?

"We don't even know where he is!" Pidge whisper-hisses, shooting him a glare.

Pidge tries not to stare at Lance, grinning as flirtatiously as he does to other pretty girls, most of the time. Pidge knows that to her, it is directed as a joke and a friendly tease. And yeah, she's accepted that for a long time now. It's fine.

Truthfully, she'd say Lance McClain's eyes see only the surface. Nothing else.

"Come on Pidgeon, this way!"

What?

Pidge doesn't let Lance tug her away, rooting herself firmly to the spot.

"Why this way?" she asks, directing a finger in their (read: Lance's) desired direction of travel.

"I can smell fabulous shampoo."

...what?

"Lotor uses amazing shampoo?"

"Obviously, he seems like the kind of man. I'm guessing he has such luscious hair, but obviously not better than mine," Lance preens, nearly stuffing his hair in Pidge's face. Unyielding, Pidge smacks him away and actually starts heading in the direction, hunched back and bent legs.

"Ooh, Pidge actually-"

"Shhh..."

Pidge carefully places a finger on Lance's lips, very effectively shutting him up. He freezes, making no sound,  the only difference being the light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

Suddenly, Lance is yanked down, hidden underneath a large structure with Pidge.

"-and I'm sure Voltron will be here any minute."

Lance and Pidge share a look.

PIDGE: Shit, is that Lotor?

LANCE: I mcfuckin' knew it.

PIDGE: what?!

LANCE: Look at his goddamned hair. Man could have come straight out of a Pantene ad-

Pidge breaks the stare to get a better look at Lotor while quietly typing in commands, calling the rest of Team Voltron to the very same place. And damn, Lance was actually right, the silky white hair was astounding.

"I have a feeling they're almost here! And I can't wait to crush them in my terrifying hands!" Zethrid cheers, voice unusually exuberant. Acxa sighs, paired with giggles from Ezor.

"Zeth, that's not what we're here for," she reminds, with the calm patience is a mother. Zethrid kind of pouts, but shrugs it off apathetically.

"I could crush them with no problem, thereby destroying Voltron, but you guys never let me!"

It was chilling, because it was almost like they were being lured into a trap. But no, it couldn't have been, because now that Pidge and Lance knew what was going on, that wouldn't be the case.

**_Message from: Princess Allura_ **

**_PIDGE, START ATTACKING, WE'RE LITERALLY RIGHT BEHIND YOU_ **

**_Message from: Keith Kogane_ **

**_WE'RE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. READY, TEAM?_ **

Lance readies his bayard, an admittedly beautiful sniper rifle, his hand accidentally covering the top of Pidge's when she reaches for hers.

Pidge, surprised, nearly freezes, Lance seeming to return the same face.

It's just the brush of a hand, something that has literally never affected her. What the hell was happening now?

She wakes up when she hears Keith and Shiro springing into battle, Shiro immediately going for Lotor and Keith fighting Acxa, the formidable general battling the paladin's ruthless attacks with cunning, clever moves. Hunk literally barrel-rolls in, firing his bayard at the feet of the generals in an attempt to knock them off their feet. Allura, determined for victory this time, slashes her iridescent whip Zethrid's way.

Lance pulls Pidge up, gripping her arm.

"Come on!"

Lance doesn't run as far in as Pidge does, Pidge immediately choosing to tackle Narti. Who better to tackle the smartest than the smartest?

Pidge needs to figure out how someone who clearly doesn't have means of vision can see so well. Maybe she's aware of her surroundings?

Quickly, she dashes towards her, slamming her grappling hook out to catch her in the stomach.

Or at least, she wanted it to catch Narti in the stomach, but more like Narti caught it and sent it back to Pidge's stomach.

"...oof," Pidge mutters, not bothering to dust herself off.

Narti may have gotten the first hit, but she sure as hell won't get the last.

The atmosphere is filled with sounds of battle, fiery raging heat, the area destroyed and plundered by missed gun shots (dammit, Lance!) and stabs of sword (dammit, Keith!).

Pidge knows that getting in too close might be a bad idea. But even seemingly-random but actually carefully-placed strikes don't deter her, and never hit her, as she blocks every single one with ease.

So instead, she aims to strike her with the hook, quickly sliding under and hooking onto her leg. Much to her disappointment, Narti doesn't fall on her goddamn face like she wanted, but it's enough, the fact that she stumbles.

All of a sudden, Narti grips her hook, violently pulling Pidge towards her. Pidge is caught between the unmakeable decision of losing her bayard or possible danger.

And then, before she can process it, a tail is wrapped around her neck and her breath cut off.

Pidge doesn't struggle, saving her breath as it is slowly squeezed out of her, looking at Narti. Where is the one place she didn't hit?

"PIDGE!"

Lance expertly hits Narti's tail, causing her to drop Pidge and the bayard in surprise. In retribution, her tail snaps out, hitting Lance in the face.

Pidge pauses, nearly gawping stupidly at the sharpshooter, now clutching his mouth with one hand and sniping with the other, somehow, that may have just saved her stupid, stupid life. She has to will herself not to smile and stop at him.

Wait, what? Friendly smile. Friendly smile.

"Pidge!"

Voltron and the Generals plus Lotor break apart, the two sides pausing for a moment and staring at each other venomously.

Pidge doesn't miss the scratch on Lance's cheek.

"Come on, Pidge!"

Lance is the one grabbing her hand this time, the team accidentally separating back into pairs to flee the formidable general team. God, where the hell had Lotor found such badass, awesome generals?!

Lance and Pidge, running on adrenaline, sprint away, heart pounding, feet hitting the ground hard.

They don't follow their previous path, navigating and twisting through a city like a maze, with no way to guide themselves. Damn, they were going to have fun finding their way back later, weren't they?

Lance, watching behind them for Galra soldiers, notices Pidge squinting at him.

"What? You need better glasses?" Lance asks, leaning in to Pidge and adjusting her askew glasses for her, not noticing the gentle pink that tinges her cheeks, nor the unusually surprised expression. She frowns, brow creasing.

"Maybe. These are my brother's, so maybe they messed up my vision or something," she muses, swatting Lance's hand away. But amidst the distraction...

A swish of purple.

A spot of red.

A blur of silvery-white.

Prince Lotor and his general Ezor.

"Is this blue and green?" Lotor asks, tinge of an annoyingly amused smile on his face. Lance nearly opens his mouth to protest that, but Pidge stops him. No sense letting Lotor know more than he already does. 

"Yeah, Prince Pantene," Pidge rolls her eyes, folding her hands behind her back, fingers slowly and surreptitiously closing around her bayard. Lance isn't quite as secretive, immediately aiming and shooting at Lotor. 

With the speed of light, Lotor leans to the side, the bullet scraping through his hair, charring a little bit black.

"Take that, Lo-butt!" Lance howls. Pidge smacks him, whipping out her bayard and going in swinging.

Pidge swings one leg out, nearly tripping Ezor, who darts away nimbly and grins.

"Hi, sweeties!"

Ezor gracefully and powerfully swings her leg at Lance's head, which he barely dodges, leaving Pidge free to aim a hit at Lotor himself. He doesn't move, raising an eyebrow.

Goddamn the height difference.

Lotor doesn't brandish a sword, doesn't pull out a knife. Instead, he brings out a small vial of sparkling turquoise liquid, looking tiny in his large hands.

Pidge charges straight towards him, using the taser in her bayard. Lotor moves to the side, but Pidge cleverly sidesteps and jabs the bayard fiercely into Lotor's chest, sending shock waves through the Galran Prince.

Ezor stops, stunned, quickly grabbing the vial from Lotor's hand and jabbering something to him in Galran, Pidge and Lance assume. Then, she gets up, throwing the same sunny smile (perhaps hiding layers of murderous rage) to them and slowly uncorking the vial, twist by twist.

Lotor slowly gets up, smiling.

"Paladins, I didn't come here to hurt you. I don't even want to touch you, no matter how much you may want me to fight, Green Paladin," he says, voice as charming and smooth as his hair.

Pidge stands ready to fight, arm brushing Lance's, who stands slightly in front of Pidge, one arm stretched across her.

Protective, much?

Suddenly, Ezor throws out her arm, the blue-green liquid splashing Lance and Pidge in the chest, evaporating and leaving a twinkling mist behind.

Lance's heart tremors, beats, thumps. He shakes, feeling some kind of energy pulse through his body, feeling every blood vessel filled with something tingling his nerves, up to his brain. Surely Pidge must feel the same.

Hell, did Lotor just drug them, make them high? Stoned? Is this the alien version of crack?

Blinded, Lance and Pidge stumble around, arms splaying out and trying not to hit the other.

But when they open their eyes what seems like an eternity later, Lotor and Ezor are gone.

~~~

"You should be all right, as in no changes in terms of bodily parts, mental ability, and gender," Coran rambles off, squinting at a written list in his hand. "But I'm not sure what the intended effect was."

Pidge and Lance glance at each other, sitting next to each other on the sofa. Coran's medical testing didn't seem quiet professional if he wasn't sure of the effects. Pidge debated on whether to try and run her own tests. Even the rest of the team, seated in various places on the large span of sofa, look worried. It would be extremely bad timing if they decided to die.

"We just have to wait and see, then?" Lance asks.

"Maybe it'll help Lance finally be able to charm girls," Pidge cockily whispers, leaning in to Lance confidently, sipping on her juice as a show. Lance chokes on air, eyes bulging wide, turning to Pidge with an incredulous look. 

"Uh, um, I get girls just fine," Lance sasses, raising one eyebrow. Keith rolls his eyes the minute he sees Lance turning to Allura, who already starts getting up and leaving at the sight. Pidge smirks happily.

"Ha."

Annoyed, Lance pouts, rebelliously swinging his legs onto Pidge's lap and placing his head on the sofa like he had many times before. Allura laughs, the laugh tinkling gently. She sits back down, patting Lance on the head as she does so jokingly, making the whole group burst into laughter.

"Aww, I'm sorry Lance, but we've got bigger things to worry about. Say, the spell that Lotor and Ezor cast on you?" Allura asks. "Any ideas?"

A spell? That could be a lot of things. Could be an 'act crazy in front of your group' spell, a 'lose all bodily functions' spell, could be a 'throw up every time you eat spell...' it sounds extremely cliche to Pidge, but everything is really up to time to reveal. After all, it has been a few hours since Ezor first dumped the sparkly, painful misty liquid on them, and so far nothing had happened.

But...

Normally Pidge enjoys just sitting quietly, working while dropping the occasional snarky comment at Lance or something. But now, Pidge feels different, like she wants to talk all the time, like she has an energy flowing through her at all times. 

"Maybe it's a 'get the Princess to fall for my charms' spell," Lance suggests, winking. Pidge groans inaudibly, rolling her eyes at the side and tilting her lap to slide Lance's legs off. 

"Hey!"

"Look, I know you've got sculpted and admittedly nice long legs, but I don't need them on my lap," Pidge states, brushing off her lap. 

Wait. 

Freeze.

...what the hell?!

"...uh, Pidge, you do know what you just said, right?" Hunk checks in after an uncomfortably long silence, leaning in with an apprehensive and surprised face that everyone seemed to be wearing. Lance, legs dangling off the sofa now, nearly turns around to hide his face from the bunch. 

Did Pidge just admit that he has nice legs?

"...yes, yes I did."

"You just said Lance has nice long legs. You never say he has nice anything." 

Hunk stares at Pidge, amazed.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking it, even if I'm not saying it."  
Like how I was thinking that Allura is sometimes too uptight, or how Shiro's new haircut actually looks really weird," Pidge shrugs, looking as if she has more to say.

Oh god.

Did she just admit...?

Pidge claps her hand over her mouth, tapping her toes rapidly, eyes darting to and fro from a random place to Lance, then to another random place and back to Lance.

"Lance, are you hearing this?" Allura kind of giggles, the little glint in her eye an indicator of her thoughts, not even affected by Pidge's statement.

"Of course I am. And Shiro, your eyeliner is looking a bit off today, a little thin, isn't it? Awesome though. "

Shiro self-consciously looks in a mirror.

Keith, looking between the unusually but understandably hyper stressed Pidge and the very, very flustered Lance, starts to gain an idea of what exactly was playing out.

"Lance, what are your thoughts on this?" he asks, smirking at Allura, who returns the expression. Shiro, blur, doesn't understand.

"I'm very flattered." Lance, flattered? Once in a lifetime. "I'm very flattered that a pretty girl would say that to me."

It's Pidge's turn to go red, blush, smile sheepishly, look away. What the hell was going on, she didn't know.

But then, all of a sudden, Hunk turns to Pidge with a look that she also sees in Allura and Keith, and suddenly survival instinct kicks in for the blue-green pair who immediately jet off, speeding away from thr evil perpetrators,  who are ot in pursuit.

"God, haven't we done enough running for today?" Pidge groans out, stopping outside her door, Lance right beside her.

"How do you think I got these legs?" he questions. Then, he smiles stupidly, grinning at Pidge. "Just kidding."

"Naturally, obviously." Pidge smacks herself again, groaning into her hand and sliding her back down the outside of her room door.

"I think I know what Lotor did to us," they both say in unison, eyes equally as terrified, breaths heavy, hands shaky. They laugh for a moment, rambling about jinxing, and how it's fun but stupid. Nervous rambling and laughter.

Pidge takes in a deep breath at some point, finally saying what she'd suspected since the couch.

"I think we've been hit by a truth spell."

"...well, shit."

\---

**DAY 2:**

Lunch is supposed to just be lunch, not 'truth or truth'. Lance just wants to eat the goddamn food goo and go hang with Hunk and Pidge, goddammit!

"This food goo gets crappier each time I eat it," Lance muses, without even a tinge of annoyance. Coran raises an eyebrow, squinting his eyes.

"I'm sorry, young man, does it look like we have any other form of sustenance suitable for your human species?" Coran folds his lips, looking at Lance.

Pidge, quietly, mumbles "Kaltenecker."

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't hear you," Hunk asks from beside Pidge, his breakfast already finished. Pidge reddens right before screaming KALTENECKER!

"Pidge, you want to kill our baby?!" Lance clutches his heart, looking despondently at Pidge.

"It's a stupid cow, I just wanted the game."

"But-!"

"Well, Paladins!" Allura cuts in, smiling. "I've got some news."

"If it's another diplomatic whatever, I'm going to barf the food goo," Lance declares.

"Don't!" Hunk exclaims, instinctively moving away from Lance and away from the table. Coran looks like he's about to slam his face into the food goo.

"If you're going to puke, do it on either Keith's mullet or Shiro's new hair, because those are in dire need of destruction." Pidge doesn't even look up or try to make it sound sarcastic.

"I swear to god, this truth spell can be really funny when I manipulate it, but I'm praying that it goes away today!" Keith groans, yells, slams his face on the table.

"Damn, Keith, you're awesome and all but that's too much," Lance says, voice fluctuating with surprise.

"Wait, what did you just say? About me? Like what you think about me?" Keith checks, leaning in. Lance pales, looking like he really is going to throw up his food goo. Instead, he throws up the truth in angrily and quickly screamed words.

"YOU'RE AWESOME, LIKE IN FIGHTING AND PILOTING AND HOLY CRAP I'M ONLY ANNOYING TOWARDS YOU BECAUSE I'M PRETTY JEALOUS," Lance screams, immediately shoving his fist in his mouth immediately after. Pidge and Hunk burst out into laughter, Lance grimacing and covering his face in between them.

Pidge supposes that Keith is the catalyst to manipulating their truth spell, because all of a sudden they get bombarded with stupid questions, including the following:

"Who's the paladin you would most likely date?"

"Myself!"

"Describe me in your opinion!"

"You're hot. And awesome. And like really cool," Lance answers. "Wear eyeliner more often, Shiro. And yeah, Keith needs more eyeliner to reflect the darkness in his heart," he adds as an afterthought. Shiro, hopeful, shoots Keith his best puppy eyes.

"Don't even think about it."

"Guys!" Allura feigns slapping her palm on the table, scaring them into effective silence. "I haven't spoken yet!"

"Well, actually, you kind of have-"

"Hunk, shh!"

"I've organised a diplomatic banquet to be held in the Castle with the citizens of Galaxor," Allura proclaims. Lance nearly opens his mouth to protest, but one look from Allura (and the fact that her hand was wrapped around a spoon laden with goo and aimed at him) was enough to shut him up.

"A ball? As in dancing, ballgowns, the like?" Hunk questions, taking Lance's goo and cheekily polishes it off.

"Yes! You all will be expected to charm the Galaxorians and persuade them to join our coalition," Allura puts in, looking way too happy about the whole thing. Maybe it was because she finally got to hold a ball again since the last disastrous one.

"Dresses? I miss wearing those," Pidge says nonchalantly, looking at Allura as if interested for once. Lance blinks, cutely tilting his head to the side as if confused.

"A dress?" he echoes. Lance's mind flies off, imagining pre-Garrison Pidge decked up and dressed up in a purple dress, long hair let down and decorated with a purple hairband. Just like the picture she kept with her, of her and Matt.

And oh god, in that moment, Lance prays Keith or Hunk doesn't give him a Pidge themed pop quiz right now, or the words he would spill out may not be completely table-appropriate.

Meanwhile, Shiro nearly has an aneurysm from the pure volume of Allura's sudden screech, high-pitched and piercing and so very  _not-Allura_.

"Do you want a dress Pidge? Oh, I've got a few of my old ones i think you can wear? There's some purple, and some green that would match your armour," Allura rattles off, counting off her fingers, eyes trailing upwards. Pidge blanches, getting up and leaving the table.

"Wait, Pidge!" Allura calls, getting up. Lance, meanwhile, darts up and follows Pidge, who he assumes was on the trail to her room.

Damn, why is Pidge so fast? Even with those short (and nice) legs of hers, she could probably outpace the tall Lance with ease.

"Pidge?"

He knocks softly on the door. No reply. Lance slowly pushes the door open, inching in little by little.

Pidge sits in the center of her bed, hands clutching the same small portrait she always carries around like a lucky charm. Damn, Pidge was like his lucky charm. Honestly. Where she was, good things happened. How many times exactly had she saved his life today alone?

"Pidge?"

She adjusts her glasses, looking up at Lance curiously, not even a tinge annoyed or surprised at his appearance.

"What?" she asks, her eyes going back to the portrait. Lance, after a gentle nod from Pidge, sits down beside her and relaxes.

"Just checking you were okay," Lance explains, peering over Pidge's shoulder, cheek to cheek with her, just to get a decent glance at the portrait.

Pidge never looked happier than there. It kind of sucks, knowing how hard it is to make Pidge happy, but Lance doesn't care. Pidge should be happy.

"It's so uncomfortable, this whole truth spell thing. It feels like an invasion of privacy, yanno?" Pidge purses her lips, the little space between her eyebrows creasing in displeasure. Lance grimaces, patting his shoulder to let her lean on it.

They had the perfect height difference, didn't they?

"It totally is. Keith is  _so_ having fun through this thing," Lance huffs, chuckling and patting Pidge, while relaxes and breathes out at his gentle touch.

"It's only been around two days and i can't really take it anymore. I didn't want to bring up dresses, it hurts because I would wear them while Matt was around. Now...it brings back memories. And oh god, I'm ranting, i can't even choose what I want to say!"

Pidge tenses up, every part of her face scrunching up, eyebrows narrowing in annoyance. This prompts Lance for another round of patting, stroking Pidge's hair gently. It looked a little longer than the last time he'd petted it. 

"We can ask Coran to give us a diagnosis at some point. He'll probably do better now that he knows what's going on," Lance soothes. It feels weird for him, being the one providing logic. Usually this whole situation was the other way around; Pidge would be left brain and Lance the right. Strange. 

"Yeah..." Pidge mumbles.

"Are you sleepy? Want an afternoon nap? " Lance asks. Well, no crap, because her eyelids droop and face relaxes. Pidge nods almost imperceptibly.

"I'm not a damn kindergartener...but a nap sounds good."

Lance wraps an arm around her, letting her lie on his shoulder, soon falling asleep.

Pidge gets stressed easier than she would like to show, admittedly, and this was a case of it.

Maybe she was embarrassed that she said Lance looked good?

Oh god, Lance suddenly realises and comprehends that Pidge thinks he's attractive (in some way). Oh god.

How lucky was he, after all?

With all kind of thoughts of these sorts shifting and twisting and morphing through his head, Lance is soon subdued to sleep, the two falling back on the bed.

\---

**VOICEOVER #2:**

_Lance here._

_I didn't think Pidge was taking this very well on the first day, honestly. Neither was I, frankly, but it just kept spiraling worse from there for her._

_Yanno, she's so good at keeping secrets and all that? She managed to hide her gender and relation to Matt and Captain Holt for how long, again?_

_I think this month was the first time she found herself in a place where the truth was the only option available._

_And I think maybe she wanted to kill Lotor even more after this. Haha._

Lance, come back?

_I'm doing the second voice-over._

Oh, okay. Want me to check over the recording?

_Oh-um-crap-no!_

**DAY 6:**

"PIDGE!"

Lance, as usual seeking to make a dramatic entrance, sashays into the common room with an unusual-wait, scratch that, normal-amount of confidence.

"Whaaaaaat," Pidge groans, lying down on her stomach on the sofa. She slips her headphones off, tilting her laptop screen slightly down. Hunk, asleep on the sofa, completely ignoring Lance.

"Ask me any question that I ordinarily would not be able to answer," Lance requests loudly, puffing his chest. "Coran said the spell should be gone by now, so this is my way of testing it."

Lance wanted a question? Well, Pidge supposes that what she was going to ask would either work out really well or really terribly for her.

"Is that really a good idea, Lance?" Shiro raises an eyebrow judgmentally. "You might end up revealing something you might not want to."

Lance shrugs.

"Honesty is a virtue, right?"

So far, today, Pidge has tried her best not to talk to people and to not let them talk to her. No communication equals no revealed truths, right?

Actually, she'd been using the same strategy for the past five days; wear headphones, work on Matt's case, take off for Allura or Keith's speeches. So far, with the peace that came with their battle with Lotor on Galaxor, the strategy had been working surprisingly well.

Lance, meanwhile, had been using this as an opportunity to comment a lot more than he usually did, this time with an excuse of honesty.

"Shiro, I need eyeliner lessons. You're a goddamn queen, you know that? You'd been god-level if you go back to the undercut, though."

"Keith, I'm really sorry, but you need to change that hideous jacket."

"I'm going to be honest, you're gorgeous and awesome Allura, but you're an awesome friend so let's keep it at that."

Allura's reaction had been more of 'like I was going to change that relationship status'. Pidge had definitely been surprised at that random outburst.

Lance flirting with Allura was like half of his identity by now (in Pidge's brain, that was. The other half was Lance flirting with random alien girls and a few guys scattered across the galaxies they visited).

"Name the person you'd most like to kiss in the room," Pidge delivers to Lance, grinning snidely at him.

So what if she may have had a little, teeny crush on the boy? So what if she'd hoped before that the person would be her? A girl could dream, right?

She doesn't expect Lance to struggle with the question, looking as if he had a frog stuck in his throat. Like he can't answer. As if something is stopping it from coming out. Lance doesn't seem to know why either, which immediately draws concern from the whole team.

"I don't know," he answers. "I mean, I physically can't answer that. My throat's not letting me."

Allura side-glances at Coran, who shrugs.

"Don't look at me, I don't know!"

"What do you mean your throat's not letting you?" Pidge asks, eyebrows pushed together, leaning closer to Lance as if studying him like a scientific specimen. "Like you don't want to say it?"

"It's more like the spell isn't forcing me to say it. Which is awesome, because it means it's not working anymore!" Lance cheers, happy. 

Pidge isn't so sure. 

The spell seemed to still be having some effect, but what? Lance was hiding something. How could his self-diagnosis change from 'being stopped from saying it' to 'stopping himself from saying it?'

Pidge isn't so sure.

She isn't going to be dumb like Lance, parade himself in front of the team, shake Hunk awake to celebrate the return of his dishonesty and lies. Maybe Pidge is hiding disappointment, she thinks, as she folds her laptop and stands up. Maybe Pidge is disappointed that she didn't get the answer she was looking for, she thinks, as she slips her headphones on and walks out of the room in silence, comforting music drowning out all other sound. 

Maybe Pidge just-just wanted to know what Lance truly thought of her. That if he didn't want even Allura, that maybe he'd want her. 

So Pidge, distressed (even if she wouldn't admit it herself) heads to the library, the beautiful library of the Castle, that was definitely underused. 

While she strolls amidst the sky-high maze of shelves, decked with the most amazing (and unfortunately, rather disorganised) and informative collection of books Pidge has ever seen, her mind keeps on flashing back to the Garrison. To memories.

Memories where Pidge sees Lance for the first time, immediately noticing that the loud exterior definitely wasn't all there was to him. That he was admittedly good looking, and too tall for her to take, and endearingly charming. These were facts Pidge continually built up the more time she spent with him, despite all the lies she had to throw his way during that time. 

She'd liked him, kind of. Pidge prefers to think of it not as a crush, but more of admiring. His sharpshooting, though she would never admit it, was so freaking awesome; he was like a video game character, but real! 

But of course,  she wasn't going to tell anyone about that little secret of hers, for so so many different reasons. Now it was definitely more plausible, but now they were in space, a habitat featuring so many people that Lance would trail after rather than her. 

Not because she wasn't good, not because she wasn't good enough. It was simply that she and Lance valued different things in life.

 And that is a fact Pidge still struggles to learn and accept. 

"Oh?" Pidge's foot nudges a small stack of papers, fallen open on the red carpet floor before her. Pidge stoops to pick it up, curious, the leaves nearly separating and flying away. She sifts through the papyrus-like pages, eyes drawn to one small, ripped sheet.

_RECIPE FOR POTENT TRUTH_

_Add petals from four-petaled clover,_

_Five drops of water blue_ ,

_Drop six tears of a secretive lover,_

_And may all_ _lie turn true_

The rest of the poem is ripped off, a bare minimum of scribblings visible on the bottom ripped edge of the paper. Pidge flips the paper over, seeing only a few miscellaneous markings that didn't seem to be in any Altean words that she knew.

"What's this?" Pidge wonders aloud, standing back up with the single poem clutched in her small hands. A spell, perhaps? The very spell they have been cursed with? How would Lotor have access to Altean spells and be able to create them?

Four petaled clover. A symbol of luck to many people. Pidge just calls it a manufacturing error. 

Water wasn't even really blue, was it? Really, it is the Sun that makes the water look blue. Goddamn poets.

The tears of a secretive lover seemed a bit harsh to use as an ingredient, Pidge thinks. Was it even a secret if the tears were collected? Wouldn't it no longer be a secret if they were known and used as a secretive lover?

Spells suck in that way.

Pidge pockets the poem, only that little paper, noting it for later analysis. Maybe this would be useful.

Scratch that, it will be useful.

\---

Lance isn't as talkative as she was expecting him to be. The conversations seem more one to one, Keith and Hunk laughing about how Voltron was actually the vintage Transformers on crack, Shiro and Allura drafting up some diplomatic affairs, and Lance just sitting alone. Pidge assumes that Coran is just manning the ship while they eat. Pidge sits down right opposite Lance, putting on a smile. After a quick round of greetings around the table from everyone, Pidge makes a quiet noise that grabs Lance's attention. 

"Hey," she greets, keeping the tone casual. Lance nods, returning her smile as a reply to her greeting. 

"Are you sure the truth spell is over?" Pidge asks, unable to think of any other feasible conversation topic than maybe Kaltenecker or something. Maybe he really had been minced up.

"I think so, but I'm not sure. I've been in my room for the past hours since you left," Lance admits, "so I wasn't really talking to anyone."

"Aww, did someone miss me?" Pidge teases, Lance flushing a little bit. "You could have just swung around-"

"Paladins! Allura!" Coran bursts into the room, panting, eyes full of hyperactiv. "Transmission from Prince Lotor!"

Allura ditches the meal, jumping off her seat in all her royal regalia and impractical dresses, the Paladins all following along after her to the main hangar. Sure enough, the team sees the snide face of Prince Lotor, eyes as analytical and judgemental as ever.

"Greetings, Voltron." Pidge can't get over how damn smooth his voice is, honestly. "I've called to broker a deal that may suit both of us."

"And what deal is that, exactly?" Allura questions, hands on hips and voice threatening and intimidating. Allura was in battle mode, no diplomatic fluffiness going on here. 

"You stop annoying me as I take Galaxor, and I'll give you the cure to the truth spell I so conveniently brewed up for yours truly," Lotor drawls. Lance and Pidge hear the slight murmurs of...Axca, maybe a little Ezor?

"Nonsense. The truth spell has been broken. Lance himself did so," Allura proclaims, looking proud as she shoves the small victory in Lotor's snide purple face. He laughs loudly, raising his eyebrows as if unable to believe it.

"Dear, Lance, do tell me what nations have joined the coalition and what is your Voltron-related plan for the future?" Lotor's smile returns, his face a perfect blend of calmness and impassiveness. Lance shrugs.

"Well, we've got Kansilfrey, Plaxim, Ragtayron...the like, I think I can show you a list later. As for the plan, we've got allies, and we can-"

Pidge jumps on Lance,  literally on him, knocking him down and effectively shutting him up. The headphones she wore were a surprisingly good tactic to avoid the truth, but Lance seemed in dire need of assistance. 

She totally doesn't end up accidentally straddling him in the corner, totally doesn't start stammering and reddening. Yep.

'We will not be taking you up on your offer," Allura replies, concernedly looking at Lance and wondering why the hell Pidge was currently swinging on Lance's lanky body. "Goodbye."

Allura shoots Coran a look, and he shuts off the transmitter, Lotor disappearing from sight, looking almost disappointed. 

Allura, furious, her eyes made of molten steel, turns to glare at Lance.

"You said the spell was finished!"

"That's what I thought, don't blame me!"

Allura paces the room deep in thought, eyebrows furrowed and white hair swinging everywhere. Lance hates seeing Allura stressed, actually everyone hates seeing Allura stressed. Even as the Black Paladin (and ex-black paladin, for Shiro,) everyone still looked up to their princess for instructions. She stops pacing, turning to Lance and Pidge.

"We need to work on getting a cure. We can't have Voltron compromised for very long. Lotor is getting to us," she mutters. Pidge and Lance are not sure whether they are supposed to answer that.

The little paper in Pidge's pocket suddenly feels heavy.

She doesn't mention it.

But maybe, just maybe if she had mentioned it, she would have been able to save herself from the embarrassment and pain to come.

The Ball.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge dresses up for fun. 
> 
> Lance can't stop gaping. 
> 
> Dancing.

(art by @mclanchez-dictionary)

**VOICEOVER #3:**

Yanno, I did try to find the cure. And then Allura just goes 'Pidge, go study diplomatic Galaxorian law and culture, you're not going to a ball without knowing anything about them'. I dunno, I think she asked Coran to research, but he couldn't find the cure, apparently?

_She asked Coran. Yeah. But like, you barely told him anything about the poem._

I think I actually didn't tell him.

_Yeah, yeah whatever, get on with the story. I was especially handsome around here._

You're always handsome.

_Wow, I'm surprised you said that._

I know, I am too.

~~~

**DAY**   **8** :

"I hope you Paladins are prepared for the ball tomorrow," Allura tactfully reminds. Pidge's mind isn't on the ball, or the dress part of it, hand lazily swirling her spoon in her food goo, because her mind has been stuck on the poem for days.

Recipe for a truth spell. Could it be the spell they were currently being tormented by? Probably. But why would the Galran Lotor have access to an Altean potion?.

Why four leaf clover, why tears? Pidge may as well be able to make that on her own. Well, maybe except for the fact that she had no idea where to get four leaf clovers other than Earth, and no idea how to find the tears of a fraught lover.

If only the poem had included a cure.

"Pidge? Earth to Pidge!" Lance waves his hand unceremoniously in Pidge's face, immediately grabbing her attention.

"Huh?"

"Allura was asking if you wanted to wear a dress for tomorrow's ball," Lance reports. Pidge curiously tilts her head to look at Allura, cocking one eyebrow.

"That would be nice," she says, stupidly unable to help herself. If she weren't under the influence of the spell, she would definitely have not replied as such, more likely to roll her eyes and deny the very notion. But alas, the truth spell was actually in existence, and Pidge had actually replied positively. Goddamnit.

"Really? You're not running away this time?" Allura squawks, surprised.

"I don't think I am." Not a very confident reply, strange considering the spell, but there nonetheless. Lance raises an eyebrow.

"Not to be a party pooper, but don't the aliens think Pidge is male? Like I know all of us, even Keith somehow, would look stonkin' hot in a ballgown, but what will the Galaxorians think?"

So Lance thought Keith would look good in a ballgown? Shiro? Hunk?

Herself?

Thankfully, the spell doesn't compel her to ask questions, only to answer them, so Pidge stays quiet and tries not to show even a semblance of reaction.

Allura laughs, the sound tinkling like little birds fluttering down from trees. So goddamn ethereal. You would never guess that a laugh like that belonged to a fierce and powerful warrior princess.

"Lance, do you really think our very,  _very_ diverse colonies of people care about femininity and masculinity?"

Lance reddens.

"Earth culture," is all he answers. Allura raises an eyebrow questioningly, letting it fall back down and continue her talking, prompted by all the interested looks around the table.

"Basically, you people can wear whatever you want, as long appropriate to the culture. Pidge can wear a dress and still be a 'guy'" Allura states.

Then, her eyes glint wickedly to everyone around the table, immediately making everyone very, very nervous.

"Hey, does everyone want a ballgown?"

Pidge watches with amusement as four terrified men stampede away.

As he runs, Lance hollers:

"I DON'T MIND WEARING ONE, JUST NOT TONIGHT!!!"

Allura and Pidge glance at each other, pinching their mouths in, attempting to hide their laughter.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

\---

Allura puts Pidge on her dressing pedestal, surrounded by full length mirrors, Allura running back and forth between her closet and Pidge, who is ordered to stay still.

How exactly does one have fifty thousand different dresses of different colour, material, style and make?

Ask Allura.

"What do you think of Lance, Pidge?" Allura cleverly asks as she ducks behind Pidge, holding up a plethora of dresses on her back to see if it would fit, hands swapping them in and out. Even Allura, barely touching Pidge, can feel the sudden rush of tension that floods her petite body from the question.

Pidge already dreads the word vomit that's going to happen from a simple question. God, the answer to that question deserved a four page, PEEL paragraph analytical essay. Maybe even a goddamn thesis.

"Well, I don't know. I used to find him really annoying, especially in the Garrison. I mean, he would never do his schoolwork, and sometimes ditch us to chase pretty girls, and he always pissed off or annoyed me, but-but he was kind of okay." Pidge's hard, angry-looking exterior falls, replaced with something altogether more soft, fond...nostalgic, perhaps?

"He would always try to befriend me, make sure I wasn't  _too_ antisocial, that he treated me well." Pidge suddenly chuckles, looking as if she were remembering the past. "He even tried to set me up on dates. That was probably the funniest one," she admits, grinning. Allura laughs with her, nodding approvingly of something she was holding up.

Pidge doesn't want to mention that none of those prospective dates actually wanted to date her. Looks like she was undateable even in male disguise.

Pidge alsd oesn't want to say anything in hear of spoiling what seems like her imagination.

Allura clutches a silky dress that would gently clutch at one's figure as it cascades down, the colour an intricate and shifting blend of greens and blues, cut sweetheart at the bosom. It seems sleeveless, if not for a gentle mesh covering the chest and arms, draping down over the wrists. And even more fitting for her Green Paladin theme are the little four-leaved clovers, dotting the skirt and mesh portions of the gorgeous dress.

Somehow, it even looks like it would suit Pidge.

"What do you think?"

Pidge doesn't know whether to put it on. Hell yes she wants to, but putting on a dress again is like revisiting a memory she can't yet stomach.

She hadn't willingly worn a dress since after Matt disappeared.

Wearing one again, seeing herself back in the image of femininity would both confuse and maybe scare her..

She loves being girly with her hairbands and swishy skirts, but she also loves being tomboyish with the mud in her hair and boy cargo shorts.

"Allura, it's beautiful, it's perfect," Pidge starts, Allura immediately brightening and gesturing to the changing room, "but i can't wear it."

"Why not?"

For once, the princess is annoying Pidge. Yes, thank you for helping. Thank you for taking the time to dress her up.

But asking so many questions, especially private ones while she was under a truth spell, was something she preferred to never happen again. Never again did she want Keith, Hunk or Allura manipulating her into  _actually complimenting_   _Lance_. Yuck.

"A multitude of reasons. I love the dress, it's really so pretty, but I don't know. Wearing it won't make Lance realise that I'm not just a boy tech-genius that he met in the Garrison, I'm a girl." Pidge claps her hands over her mouth. Why had that particular gem of truth decided to drop out of her mouth instead of the one she was willing to share about her brother?!

Nope, she didn't care what Lance thought. Lance is someone who looks merely on the outside, at the skin and everything that lies above it. Hell, he doesn't look at what's inside, Pidge thinks bitterly. He sees it, but he doesn't look at it as if it were truly important.

"Pidge," Allura sighs, pursing her lips. "You don't need Lance's opinion. You don't need a dress to be beautiful or for Lance to see. You wear a dress to feel a bit like-like a princess, isn't that the phrase?"

Pidge looks at the dress.

"Hmm."

Allura grins.

\---

"I swear, I'd rather be fighting the Blade again than be thrown into a monkey suit," Keith groans, reclining on the sofa.

"Maybe a ball would be fun?" Hunk, his always cheerful self, offers to Keith.

"The last time there was a ball, we were invaded and nearly killed, in case you can't remember," Keith bitterly reminds.

"Just because you're a fun hating guy doesn't mean all of us has to be," Lance rolls his eyes sarcastically. "A ball might brighten up your spirits a little."

The door clicks at the same time Lance laughs at Keith's sullen scowl.

Allura practically floats in, beaming.

Pidge follows closely behind her. At first, all Lance can see is a little, stubbly ponytail, Pidge's grown-out hair, poking out from behind Allura. Then, a shimmer of green, the little swish of a dress.

Is Pidge...is Pidge actually dressed up?

 

Lance tries to stop himself from gaping, but as normal, he has almost no self-constraint whatsoever.

"Geez, Lance, no need to stare," Keith and Pidge both groan at the same time, screaming 'Jinx!" soon after.

Lance feels the blood flood his face, turning him a pretty shade of pink.

Lance couldn't help but look, honestly If that was what Pidge wanted (unlikely though). How could he not?

Pidge had always been beautiful, behind the traditionally 'geeky' and boyish appearance she favoured. She couldn't stop that from shining through. But somehow, the way this dress hugs the legs, swirls as she moves, even the little details captivate him more than he anticipated.

"So? Thoughts? Am I wearing this tomorrow or not?" Pidge internally cringes at how rude, crass she sounds, but chooses to try and ignore it.

"You better be," Lance blurts out. "Like, you didn't need the dress to look beautiful because you always are, maybe except for when you drool on me-wait scratch that, that's beautiful too but like in a really cool way, and the dress really suits you I mean look at the bo-"

Keith lunges at Lance, quickly putting him in a silencing chokehold.

"Don't say anything you're going to regret later," he whispers. Lance groans rebelliously, rolling his eyes and snapping Keith's hands off his neck.

"Okay, daaaaaaad, and for the record, I was going to say bodice," he drags out, huffing and sassily sashaying away from Keith and towards Pidge. Keith steams, mouth down turned and face stunned.

"Toootally."

"It's not like I can lie!"

Lance pushes past Keith, eyes still fixating on a stunned, wordless Pidge who looks like she isn't comprehending what's going on.

Shiro, Keith, Hunk and Allura look ready to jump in front of Pidge and protect their (proclaimed) 'small one' from a Lance who looks ready to drop his pick-up lines on Pidge.

He stops, looking at her curiously.

"No need to look," she says, hoping it comes off more teasing and less flustered like she really is. Allura raises her eyebrows, the rest of the team leaving.

"You keep the dress with you, Pidge!" Allura hollers as she leaves, arm tugged by Shiro and Keith.

Pidge awkwardly stands by Lance.

"So...?"

"You really do look beautiful."

Pidge, usually an observant and judgmental person, doesn't pick up on the little things she normally would; this includes Lance's unusually shy glance, reddened face, fidgety hands.

The only thing that Pidge comprehends is that Lance isn't acting how he normally would with a pretty girl. Flash a smile, raise an eyebrow with half-lidded eyes, likely move closer and lean an elbow on a parallel wall. None of that.

Well, thank god?

No.

He just said that she's beautiful? Is it a lie? (Yes, Pidge knows there's a truth spell, but by this point she knows that it's only when a question is asked that the truth is given. Not in a willing statement, not always at least). Pidge looks down at her shoes, little green flats with layers of leaves creating a hypnotic pattern.

He probably doesn't think she's beautiful. Where's the flirtatious smiles, the smirks, the winks, the eyebrow raises, the leaning and moving in, the godawful pickup lines that make her cringe? The ones that come into painful existence when a pretty alien girl appears?

"Thank you."

Pidge has to storm out and leave Lance alone before she tells her too many of her truths too.

\---

**VOICEOVER #4:**

I don't recall much of that day. Dunno why. Maybe it's because I was-

_Shh, don't spoil it for them_

-totally fine, then

_Insert eye roll emoji here_

Stop stealing my reaction emojis!

_Insert raised eyebrow emoji here_

I'm going to strangle you!!

_Kinkyyyyy_

We are NOT there yet, okay.

_Pity._

Sorry, what?

_Nothing._

Allura is going to kill us when she hears the voice-overs, i swear.

**DAY 9:**

"How does Allura do all this diplomatic stuff while looking so goddamn happy?" Pidge questions, gently tugging at her sleeve. Hunk shrugs in reply, unknowing.

"How do I know? I'm only excited because I hear the Galaxorians are bringing food," Hunk chirps in reply. "I'm going to go to get the food, it's over there."

Pidge huffs out a breath she didn't know she was holding, watching as Hunk disappears through the crowd of people.

"Thanks for ditching me, Hunk!" she tries to call out, but Hunk has already started making casual conversation with the chefs. Something about how exotic the flavours were, and how precise their technique appeared to be. Hunk really does blend in very well with the squad, who seem very interested in every word from Hunk.

The Galaxorians are all gorgeous, each one looking so different. Apparently it's the gene; not even those directly related bear any resemblance due to some weird gene thing that Pidge really wants to study more.

The best part about them probably was the ambiguity. Galaxorians seemed to not have genders because of that mutating gene, ridding them of gender stereotypes. Pidge remembers the people back home, oppressed, and wishes that maybe her home could be a little more like space.

Soundlessly, Pidge floats through the mob of people, searching and scanning for her answers. Where are her friends?

"Hello Ma'am," one of the Galaxorians say, holding up a tray beside them. They smile, offering one of the thin-stemmed and slim glasses to Pidge. "Would you like a drink? It's the best Galaxorian drink around."

If only to be polite, Pidge plucks one off, giving them her best smile.

"Thank you."

In this getup, Pidge feels both extremely confident and extremely self-conscious, somehow at the same time. Hell yeah she was a freaking princess, but hell no to the whole 'diplomacy' thing. People look at her differently now. More like Allura, less like Lance. Hunk would be so much be better for this job, she thinks.

Well, you know what?

Even Matt would be better than her at being diplomatic in a party dress. And she doesn't even have Matt.

God, if only Matt could see her (and Shiro) now...

Pidge takes a swig of the drink, tasting the sweetness, smacking her lips on her teeth. Kind of tarty, like berry drinks. What the hell. Pidge shrugs, just gulping down the whole flute in one go.

Delicious! So good that Pidge almost forgets about Matt for a moment!

"Hey, Pidge."

Pidge whirls around, nearly slamming into Shiro.

"Oh, hey."

Shiro frowns, seeing Pidge staring at her shoes.

"Someone looks down. Literally."

"Oh, ha ha ha, very funny..." Pidge curls her upper lip rebelliously. "You're already our Space Dad, no need to re-establish that."

Why is the music so loud? This Altean music sounds freakishly like Earth pop music that she despises but Lance worships...something about whipping and dabbing? Pidge would never know.

"But I am re-establishing the statement that someone looks down. What's up?"

Oh goody, Shiro finally phrases himself in question form. Looks like the truth is about to spill like a waterfall, friends! Buckle up and get ready for the word vomit!

"A lot of things, really. For one, Hunk decided to just ditch me for a bunch of Galaxorian chefs that I think don't even know who Hunk is. And then, I just keep on staring at how amazing the citizens are, to still be like this even after their planet's being used as a battleground, and how they still gave me this  _delicious_ drink, oh my god-"

"Pidge? Calm down," Shiro tries to interject. But the truth spell has already taken hold, stabbing its hooks into Pidge and forcefully pulling the truth out from her.

"And worse, Lance isn't even paying attention to me, even when I'm wearing this, but I don't really know if want him to, Allura's stupid but awesome dress is making me seem more mature than I really am, and I just keep thinking of how much better it would be if Matt were here-"

Pidge chokes, eyes bulging out a little. The truth spell releases its hooks, finally setting Pidge free.

Shit.

"Your brother would be very proud of you if he could see you now, Pidge. You've grown up a lot, you've learnt so much, done so much for the coalition," Shiro reminds, putting his hand on Pidge's shoulder reassuringly. "Very proud. And about Lance...I have a feeling he's not avoiding you because he doesn't want to hang around you."

Pidge flips around, nearly whacking Shiro in the face. Her face looks like some really funny mix of confused, terrified and judgemental all in one, directed to Shiro.

"What does that even mean?"

"Shiro!"

Keith waves, beckoning Shiro to him.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go Pidge, duty calls!"

Keith, in a friendly manner, sticks out the middle finger to Pidge. Pidge quickly flashes one back, sending him an insolent look as Shiro walks away with him.

Two out of five friends have ditched. Forty percent. That's a bit much, don't you think?

Pidge spots Lance, Hunk, Keith and Shiro chatting somewhere at the other side of the ballroom, her view rapidly changing with the heads bobbing in front of her.

So they all ditched her for Lance? Yep-totally not offended. At all.

Doesn't matter.

Pidge ignores them, trying to gracefully walk her way to the other side of the ballroom where the dinner was supposed to take place. How many more hours of this? How many hours before she can become antisocial Pidge Gunderson again?

Allura stands close by, seeming to be making amiable conversation with a Galaxorian. Didn't look like diplomatic business, because both were giggling their heads off. Allura chokes on air, grinning as she regains composure, as does the Galaxorian. Wait, is that the Galaxorian princess? And holy hell, she is  _gorgeous_. The opposite of Allura, round and short (pretty much Pidge's height), and freaking  _gorgeous_.

"Pidge!"

Crap.

Shyly, Pidge tiptoes to Allura and the princess. Wait, is she supposed to curtsey?

Before Pidge can decide, the princess envelops her in a tight hug, squeezing the air out of Pidge.

"Hi! Allura, did I say it right?" she squeaks. Allura smiles, nodding slightly. Adorable and hot? Pidge was only surprised that Lance hadn't tried to hit on her yet.

"Hi!" Pidge greets back, trying to imitate the pure enthusiasm.

"I'm Princess Eejin of Galaxor, but you can just call me Jin. My dad's over there, he's the scary purple one, but I love him a lot anyway. And he loves me a lot too. " Eejin points a stubby finger to the head of the table where her father, Andreas if Pidge is not wrong, currently sits. Pidge is quite sure that Allura is supposed to sit opposite.

It's kind of cute, how she describes her  _fucking intimidating_ father.

"Oh Pidge, sit with me at dinner?" she chirrups.

Shit, a question.

"Sorry, I was planning to sit with Lance. I kind of want to sit with him and all," Pidge blurts out. Eejin raises a curious eyebrow at the hesitant Pidge, suddenly 'oh'-ing in surprise and snapping her fingers.

"Truth spell! Haven't come across one of those in a while. If I'm not wrong, Alteans had the best ones around!" Eejin recalls. Allura nods.

"I have Coran searching out libraries. If my fath-" Allura coughs, looking down, "if my father, a renowned alchemist, were alive, I'm sure this job would be easier."

"Princess!"

A servant catches Allura as a tear nearly slips her eye, startling them.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"I'm fine," Allura clearly tries to lessen what would have been sharp. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, ma'am, I was about to tell you that."

Eejin grabs Pidge's arm, grinning cheekily.

"I want to meet this Lance fellow who has so obviously stolen your heart. Let me sit next to you with him by your other side," she cooes, giving her the Galaxorian equivalent of puppy eyes. Pidge nods slowly, gently tugging on her lacey sleeve, almost to the point of breaking.

"I haven't exactly asked to sit next to him."

"Nonsense! A pretty thing like you, he'll have to say yes!" Eejin smacks her playfully, and harder than Pidge expected. "So which one is he?"

With most of the crowd filtered to the food and the important guests to the front long table, Pidge clearly sees Lance, trying some Galaxorian food.

Suddenly, Lance chokes after biting off maybe half, spitting it out in Keith's face.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Eejin looks at Pidge, who nearly facepalms.

"Do  _not_ tell me that it's  _that_  one."

"Uh..."

~~~

On the table was King Andreas, Princess Eejin, the Paladins, the Galaxorian Prime Minister, Coran, and Allura.

"Now why exactly do you want to sit next to me?" Lance asks, uncomfortably sitting in his seat. Pidge tries to not look at how damn cute he is in the Altean-style suit that he and the others wear. It grips his lean frame almost perfectly, decorated with blue silks and meshes, very different from the classical Earth style. And a hell lot nicer too.

"Because I like your company," Pidge says casually. "And your suit, for the record, it's really nice." Suddenly, she realises what she said, bursting out into embarrased laughter with Eejin. For once, Pidge didn't mind being loud. Giggly. More like the young teenage girl she was supposed to be. Lance seems to suddenly take notice of the princess.

"Well hello there," he greets, tone switching and mouth arching upwards in preparation for disgusting flirting.

Jesus, here it comes, and Pidge braces for a slew of pick up lines to come. But it never comes.

"Hello, Lance! I must say, you are a very lucky person!" Eejin chirrups, eyes shut amicably and purple-lined mouth grinning. Lance balks.

"Huuuh?"

"I mean, you have the wonderful Pidge in lo-"

Shit-Pidge jumps, waving her hands in Eejin's face. She doesn't notice Allura facepalming in the back, mostly because Eejin's father was giving them very apprehensive looks. Eejin takes the hint, blushing and halting her speech.

"Pidge does-"

"JIN!"

"So that's your name?" Lance questions, lazily twirling a fork on his finger. Pidge represses the want to try that too.

"Actually, it's Princess Eejin, but Jin will do," Eejn corrects. Lance blanches, much to Pidge's amusement.

"You're the princess?!"

"Someone did their studying," Pidge sneers.

"Well I'm sorry, I was too busy watching you study to actually study," he defends. Eejin and Pidge side-glance, bursting out into girlish, voracious laughter.

"What?!-"

Lance is cut off (with furiously red face and tight lips) by Allura clinking her glass of drink, who shoots an abashed Lance and Pidge looks, King Andreas shooting a grinning Eejin similar looks.

"Good members of the Galaxorian Nation, my Paladins of Voltron, it is an honour to host this first diplomatic dinner between our two nations," she speaks out, the members of the table clapping politely. "Of course, perhaps this meeting need not be completely formal, but we do come together to discuss an alliance between Galaxor and the Voltron Coalition."

Dinner passes quickly. The food, having been closely scrunitized by Hunk, is actually pretty good; Most foods beat the repetitive texture of the food goo, and this is one of them.

Eejin sticks strangely close to Pidge, maybe just attached.

King Andreas is surprisingly friendly. Honestly, for a guy who looks like he is perennially frowning, Andreas even cracks friendly jokes about how Voltron is a need of a good paint job. Especially the red lion, much to both Lance and Keith's annoyance. And he too seems very fond of Eejin, often making jokes alluding to her brilliance and humor, and Pidge tries not to notice how Allura's reacting to it.

"Galaxor needs Voltron, and Voltron needs Galaxor. We have skilled fighters in number but near to no Air Force. I think we would make a good pair," he reasons, appealing to Allura. They need numbers. Badly. The Blade was only so much.

"I think we can strike a deal." Allura extends her hand out, which Andreas returns from across the table. A symbol of agreement, even without the handshake.

The table, and the rest of the people, stand up and cheer, clinking glasses and screaming in joy. Hope. Hope that Galaxor may not be defeated by the Galra, that Voltron could restore the universe. A scene that Pidge had seen multiple times before with a multitude of different nations. And yet Zarkon and Lotor still rode their reign of terror. What would make the change?

Suddenly, right after everyone sits down, Pidge polishing off possibly her third glass of the drink, her brain stings, make her crouch and clutch her head.

It stabs at her.

"Pidge? Pidge!" Eejin exclaims, gripping Pidge and pulling her up with a strength Pidge didn't know she possessed. Luckily, the rest of the table has either left or made their own conversations, so the trio go unnoticed.

Suddenly, again, all feels alright. Better, if possible. She spots Lance right beside her, holding her arm.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Eejin questions, making a face both confused and surprised. Pidge tries to wipe the goopy grin, directed to Lance, off her face, but it refuses to go.

Jesus, why is she getting spelled every three seconds?!

"Heya, Laaaaaance," Pidge drags out, in a voice that is definitely not meant for friends only, eyes going half lidded. Lance, taken aback, goes bright red.

"...hi?"

Eejin gasps, also frowning, looking between the glass and Pidge.

"Pidge, what did you drink?"

Pidge looks at Eejin, appearing either stoned or dazed. Maybe both.

"I dunno, but do you know what I really want to drink?" she slurs, turning back to Lance with a look that definitely meant something else altogether. Eejin quickly grabs her and flips her around.

"Dammit, Pidge, what did you drink?" Eejin asks again, more commanding this time to the point that Pidge listens. Lance jumps back at the tone that turned the cute Eejin into...Allura?

"I dunno, someone kept serving me some purple-red drink because I said I liked it? Now, can I get back to-mmph! "

Eejin smacks her hand over Pidge's mouth, grabbing a glass of water and forcing it down Pidge's throat.

"What are you doing?!" Lance smacks Eejin's hand away, spilling a little water on both girls. Eejin disregards his disrespect, waving a hand.

"She's drunk-well, she's drunken our Galaxorian equivalent of your human alcohol. And she's drunken way too much of it, as it seems," Eejin glares disapprovingly. "And Allura and I even planned something..."

"Alcohol? Not that I care, but Pidge is underage."

Eejin tilts her head.

"What's underage?"

"You know what-nevermind," Lance dismisses his thoughts. "How do we cure her, and why is she so...flirty?"

Golden eyes dancing with amusement, Eejin giggles.

"It's the truth spell combined with alcohol. Doesn't sound like a very good combination, doesn't it?" she explains, shooting Lance a myriad of looks that make him uneasy.

"Eejin, what did you plan?"

She sighs resignedly, looking out to the dance floor in the middle, and around the room.

"Allura volunteered you two to perform our Galaxorian traditional couples dance as a show of friendship between our nations. So now, I'm shoving water into our dear friend to make her sober again. Yeah?"

Too much information.

Pidge dizzily grabs for the water, Eejin passing a large bottle to Lance.

"I'm going to go for a moment, you try to get her to drink. I'll tell Allura to postpone it for a bit."

And just like that, Eejin is gone.

And Lance is stuck with a drunk Pidge crawling closer to him. Not that he really minds it, how she seems to finally be paying attention to him.

One knee between his legs, her hand on his shoulder, she seductively leans in close to Lance, who freezes in shock.

"Pidge, come on, you need to drink this water-"

"Don't you like this?" Suddenly, Pidge appears almost cute, making her eyes grow wide and pouting, puppy eyes sending an arrow deep into Lance's heart.

"Sure, sure-"

Pidge giggles in a very un-Pidge manner, the mesh of her dress tickling Lance.

"Then stop talking, silly, and come here!"

Pidge doesn't pull at him aggressively, but Lance nearly finds himself leaning in to Pidge, a version of Pidge never before seen.

Can he have his Pidge back, please?

"Pidge-"

Noses centimetres apart, she smiles, her breath hot on his face. Hot and sweet-smelling. Must be the damn alcohol.

"What?"

She's shifted completely off her chair now, migrating to his. Lance mentally thanks whatever gods that existed that everyone was preoccupied and not noticing the small scandal going on.

His eyes flicker back to Pidge, her own eyes burning, traces of purple decorating hazel.

He hasn't always liked Pidge. In that way, he means. After all, there was Allura, someone who stole the spotlight every time. But Lance had realised that Pidge, down-to-earth and so different to his usual 'type', was the person that he kept gravitating towards, even if he hadn't really realised it.

And then, from there, Lance thinks it became an actual crush. Crush on the Green Paladin.

Whoops.

Lance comes back to reality, the reality where a drunk Pidge is leaned on him and ready to pounce.

"So?"

Lance slides his hand to the left.

"Sorry."

Lance thrusts the glass into Pidge's partly opened mouth, tipping the water in, Pidge forced to swallow it. She gulps, and gulps, until the water in finished and Lance moves the glass away.

He bounds up, placing Pidge with feet on ground.

"I've really got to go now."

Lance, before he regrets it, pecks Pidge on the cheek, speeding off to the bathrooms away from her.

Thank god no one saw that massive boner, he thinks.

~~~

Eejin stands above a keeled over Pidge, just finished vomiting rather unceremoniously.

Seriously, it wasn't enough to word vomit everywhere, now she also had to actually vomit, a sour Pidge thinks.

"Come on, Pidge, you actually have to do the dance now," Eejin complains, helping Pidge up. God, what happened to the bubbly and girlish persona Eejin seemed to possess? It's like she's done a complete 360!

"Must I...?"

Pidge feels like shit. Half of it is her physical pain and headaches, stomach still clenching, the other being the shame that she had gotten drunk and pain from not knowing what she had done during that drunken spiel.

"Yes, kind of. Allura already managed to postpone for you. You see..." Eejin rubs the back of her head, giggling, "...Lance volunteered to give a rather interesting acrobatics performance."

Pidge's mind flashes to Lance practicing some routine where he does weird things while holding onto cloth.

"No..."

"Yes! Now, Pidge, are you feeling better?" Eejin darts around her, dabbing at her dress. Luckily, it seemed in near-pristine condition, or Pidge would have stabbed herself in the gut if she ruined a borrowed item. "Allura's calling."

"But I don't know the dance." Ah, at last, some logic and intelligence returns back to Pidge, who pushes herself towards the door to run off. Eejin tuts, holding her arm and guiding her out to the dance floor.

The surrounding is loud, cheering, as hundreds of people twirl and jump and dance, celebrating. Celebrating.

It's too loud.

It's too loud.

"Let's just say...Galaxorians have some technology even your civilisation hasn't figured out yet."

And with that, Pidge is trapped, thrust into the arms of Lance McClain (yet again). She can't say that she doesn't enjoy that, but shoots Eejin (at the back behind Lance, flashing slightly crooked thumbs up) an annoyed glare.

"So...?" she mutters, looking up confusedly. Lance blushes, looking down as if remembering something embarrasing. "Wait, what is it?"

"Nothing," he answers. "So, King Andreas said that we'll just know-"

"-hold up, you got King Andreas."

Lance puffs out his chest proudly.

"I'm a charmer, what did you think?"

"I don't really question that," she responds. Shit, the truth makes a reappearance.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" she asks. Suddenly, Pidge feels awkward, her and Lance the only stationary beings in a sea of hyper, charged-up dancers.

"Nah, I just did some stuff...on a pole and with a dangling cloth," he drags, unable to hide the truth. Again.

"Kinky."

"I know, right?"

"Ladies and gentleman, the moment you've been waiting for, the Galaxorian High Dance begins!"

Music sounds, going slow from the quick beat it possessed earlier. The floor clears of everyone except for Lance and Pidge.

Cheers fill her ears, too much. Too painful for the ears of a newly-sobered girl.

"Well?"

Lance bows, one hand behind his back and his right extended to her. Pidge curses King Andreas for being so goddamned smooth.

"Hmm?" Pidge pretends to ignore him.

"Would you like to dance?"

Ignoring the palpations in her heart, the sniggers from Allura and Eejin at the side, Pidge offers a gentle nod.

"Sure, I guess."

Her hand goes in his, he straightens up, and she is swept away.

Freaking hell, Lance can move, and somehow Pidge knows what to do too. Maybe this is what Eejin means by technology?

"You can dance," Pidge breathes in a questioning tone, her hands clutching him more tightly than she would like to admit.

"It's probably more of the music's magic then me, but I'll go with that. I've always been footloose." Lance twirls her, hands aloft, skirt spiralling around her in a fabulous green sheen.

God, the music is really good, though. Slow paced but not boring, the instrumentation literally out of this world.

Something resembling a box-step, cross-foot, waltz step, and her prince in Altean suit of armour picks her up by the waist and spins her around, both laughing in excitement. They could do what they never could before tonight. An excuse to flirt, have fun, just celebrate the alliance for once.

And Pidge looks into his eyes, really does for a moment, and she never wants to look away again.

Pidge steps to the side, playing with Lance.

"Lance..." she begins. He looks down, smiling, smiling in his friendly manner. The selfish her was annoyed by that. She wants more.

"Yeah, princess?"

Princess? Shit, Pidge really has to make an effort not to go red. Then, she whispers in his ear.

"What do you think of me?"

Pidge feels him tense up, freeze like he wants to stop, but he can't. The music, the magic won't let him. He frowns, eyes darting around like he's thinking (for once).

For once, he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve, and Pidge can't figure out what's going on I'm his brain.

"I think you're amazing, I mean, I never understood how you were able to be strong and  _crazy smart_  and sarcastic and witty and kind all at the same time. And more recently, I've-" Lance coughs out, blurts out. Perplexed (and more than a little flattered), Pidge blinks rapidly, mouth slowly arching into a smile.

"That's nice, but you were saying?" There's an unfinished sentence there.

"I-I don't know. But I'd rather be dancing with you than thinking about it."

For the first time, Pidge doesn't question him, letting him take her away into a fantasy, just for a night. For one night, she can pretend.

And the music echoes,

And echoes,

And echoes...

~~~

It's so quiet, you know?

The Castle.

Pidge sits in the center of the ballroom, now empty of people, still not changed out of her gown, just sitting in the middle.

She's not used to everything being so loud, so boisterous. War is different. War is straightforward, win and win and win until you can't anymore, until the day you die.

Honestly, as terrifying as the prospect of death and the victory of the Galra empire is, it still doesn't terrify Pidge as much as emotion. Emotion.

1) Pidge still doesn't want to admit that yes, she cares a lot for Lance. Maybe that's what happens after spending the school semesters together, fighting an intergalactic war together, figuring out goddamn truth-roofies together. All in a teenager's day's work.

2) But in the back of her mind, she's thinking about how her father never got to see her first real dance. He would tease her about it, say that Lance better be a good boy. Matt would probably join in.

Her first ball. How her dad and her brother didn't see her at a party, dancing with princesses and princes, like the stories she used to love before robotics and science took first place. Her mother didn't see her dolled up, dressed up, growing up and falling for the boy in blue beside her.

She's missing her family so much.

It's more painful than she expected. She chose this, right? She chose to leave her mother, to stay with Voltron and fight for the universe. She chose to stop looking for her family.

If Pidge is being honest, which she is kind of forced to be right now, she just wants to leave.

Run away to find her family again.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some irritation and banter, as usual. 
> 
> Lance and Pidge, stuck in their lions, have nothing to do, until Allura starts panicking.

**VOICEOVER #5:**

LOOK, THOSE DAYS MADE ME WANT TO FREAKING-

_Take a chill pill, Pidgeon_

Okay, fine. The narrative in this one is going to be more interesting simply for the narrative effect.

_Smart._ _Never thought you a storyteller, though_

Aren't I?

_Always._

**DAY 13:**

The sounds roar in her ears, the loud screeches and screams of battle emanating throughout the echoey planet of Galaxor. Today was one of a series of battles that Lotor had suddenly decided to start. Rather unlike him.

She hears soldiers fall, Galaxorians fall, and flashes of light blink from some distant place, shining from in front of the mountain Pidge was hidden behind.

War.

A war that Prince Lotor seemed intent on winning.

Why this planet? Why did he want this planet so much? Lotor had even gone far enough to mobilise ground troops; he almost never does that. Lotor doesn't normally capture planets, for that matter. That's more of a Zarkon thing, frankly.

Angered at yet another sound of anguish, Pidge nearly slams her hands on the controls of her lion. Nearly. But she doesn't.

Allura ordered her not to blow cover that Voltron is here, and she is trying her freaking best to hide herself in her lion, but...

"Pidgeeeee, I'm bored," Lance whines, from the other end of her intercom.

"Go suck your own dick or something, I'm not here for entertainment," she groans, tapping her forehead in thought. She gets up, wanders around, and it does nothing.

"I would if I could, but even Loverboy Lance isn't that flexible," he responds. Pidge chokes on her drink.

"Too much information!"

"Not like I can control it," he defends, and Pidge is wondering how he doesn't seem the least bit abashed of that fact. "Besides, isn't that the whole reason we're stuck in here? Because we can't hide it?"

"Uh, duh." So lame, she thinks. Her response, that is. Even with a truth spell, her answers are as bland as ever. "But I still don't need to hear about you sucking your own dick."

"Fine, then do you wan-?"

"Oh, shut up," she cuts off quite dismissively, cleverly making sure that he doesn't finish that question.

...who knows what she would have answered with? She doesn't really even know what the truth is anymore. It's fucking confusing.

"Hey, Pidge?"

"Lance, I swear to god-"

"No, Pidge, I think I see Allura."

Pidge scrambles to her window, peering down.

Sure enough, there was a little Allura, frantically waving her hands and pointing.

Is that a battalion of Galra soldiers?

"SHIT!"

 **DAY 12: A FLASHBACK**  ( **WHY A FLASHBACK? ASK PIDGE)**

"Sources show that Lotor's army is approaching Galaxor," Allura begins, pointing at Pidge's Galra tracker (colour-coded obviously, because what are they? Animals?). More sources from Galaxorian lookouts say that he's planning to take the capital today. And kill royalty to do so. Not Lotor's style, I'll say, but we'll have to deal with it."

Allura's face visibily falls, then she frowns, looking almost angry. Pidge understands why; if anyone even dares to lay a finger on dear Eejin, she will kick their head off. Literally.

If Lotor takes Galaxor, what will he do? The only thing the team figured out is the strategic position of the planet in the solar system. Might strengthen the Galra's empire considerably due to its location, less for the power of the planet itself.

"Well, I'll protect the princess with everything! Both of them, that is," Lance exclaims, as if he has the power of anime and god on his side, smirking at Allura.

"As if you like the princess," Pidge blurts out. Shit. What's happening? She didn't mean to say that! The spell is supposed to only compel her to answer truthfully!

Crap.

...it's not worsening, is it?

"Yeah, I actually don't, not in that way. But I still want to protect her, yanno?"

Wait. Lance doesn't...?

That's surprising...

Shiro coughs, sounding a little annoyed, but he doesn't say so. Hunk, from the side, snickers a little bit.

"Allura, is the Blade helping out?"

"Certainly. Kolivan is mobilizing a force and we've strategized the plan for the foot soldiers, because this mission is purely land based," Allura confirms with a smile and nod. Hunk looks happy. Lance looks happy. Keith looks down at the ground.

"We'll use the lions to fly down, land somewhere hidden, cloak the lions and then proceed as two smaller, stealthier teams. The Blade and other willing members of the coalition will be handling areas that they can."

Pidge wonders if such a simplistic plan really will work.

Maybe Allura hides more behind the scenes than Pidge guesses.

~~~

"You see anything?" Hunk pants out, speeding in a curved spline to avoid bullets coming in from random places, shields activated. Pidge, having no problem because of her small stature and pure speed, does indeed see something. Their target.

Infiltrate the main centre that Lotor has taken over and retrieve the royal family. Easy peasy. That's the job that their trio has to do.

"This way!"

Shiro grabs Hunk, pulling him along. Hunk shields Shiro.

Pidge just speeds like a bullet ahead.

She almost longs to work with Lance again, because they work amazingly together, but Pidge does understand the groupings. It would be plain stupid to group two truth-spelled Paladins together.

Quickly, the trio dart behind a wall for cover, spotting a row of Galra lined up and blocking the entrance, armed and ready to shoot.

Pidge knows what to do, miraculously.

She leaps forward the same second Hunk grabs her hand and pulls her back.

"What the hell, Pidge? You don't just jump out there!" Hunk scolds, more harshly than usual. It kinda stabs at Pidge.

Why did she do that?

She knew what to do, but she wasn't going to do it. Why did she do it?

Shiro looks concerned.

"We'll go in a little while. Pidge, remember that we're a team, and we're better as a team," he kindly reminds. Pidge stutters.

"I-I know that, I don't-"

She pauses.

"What?" Shiro asks. They don't have time to do this, Pidge knows. It's a bit hard to forget, considering the abundance of noise and screams.

"No-nothing. On your command, Shiro," Pidge quickly rescinds, holding up her Bayard and grinning.

"One...two...three!"

~~~

"HOLY SHIT, LANCE!" Keith howls, hopping on one foot. "WHAT THE FU-"

"Keith Kogane!" Allura snaps loudly.

"Sorry, Allura. But Lance just jumped on my foot! I'm a tough guy-"

"No you're not, you just act like that-"

"I didn't know you could lie right now, Lance!"

"Just-just stop bickering, okay?" Allura huffs out, arms folded and eyes furious. "We're stuck on our path because you two can't get along!"

Keith sighs, shaking his head.

"Allura's right. We're supposed to be better than this. Especially me." He readies his Bayard. Lance frowns, kicking at some stones at his feet.

"What's it?" Keith asks, sounding considerably more concerned than he had earlier.

"I didn't mean to step on your foot. I literally didn't. As in I think it was-"

"Lance, shh!"

Lance is suddenly knocked aside to some greenery, Keith and Allura diving to the side likewise.

Lotor and his Generals, running down the very same path they'd been on.

"Damn, his hair still looks so good," Lance states, "but we do need to follow them. I think he's going to the center."

"Fuc-"

"Keith..."

"Fine, fucking quiznak, let's go!"

"Was that a double cuss in two languages?"

"Let's go!"

~~~

"Lance! Lance!"

Where is she?! So much noise...so much yelling.

Lance isn't supposed to be in the midst of it. He's supposed to be at the sides, quietly sniping off people from the sidelines.

"Pidge!" he screams. A Galra swings at him, catching him in the side, and making him fall, but Lance doesn't care. He fights, gets back up, slamming the butt of his bayard into the Galra's face. "Pidge!"

The mission wasn't supposed to go like this.

The mission wasn't supposed to go like this! He wasn't supposed to even see Pidge until back at the Castle, she was supposed to save the family, he was supposed to stop Lotor and his Generals. Distract them and take them down.

What happened?!

He sees Pidge slashing fiercely with her bayard, surrounded by a hoard of Galra soldiers.

Is that...blood?!

Oh wait, it's not Pidge's. Nevermind

Lance still kicks, screams, punches, so unlike him. He doesn't know what he's doing at this point, just fighting to get to Pidge. She lunges at him, grabbing his hand, as he pulls her away and to the side.

"I didn't need your help, but thanks," she thanks, rolling her eyes.

"You were literally calling my name!"

"I was looking for you."

Casually, Pidge electrocutes an incoming soldier without even looking at him. Straight after that, she proceeds to grapple and kung-fu style swing take down a whole group of soldiers.

Lance's jaw drops.

Holy  _shit_.

"Lance!"

He whirls around, the blade of a solider coming painfully close to his face. He ducks, rolling off to the side and catching his enemy with his knee, slamming his gun into his knee for good measure.

"Thanks, Pidge!"

He lunges towards her, locking their fingers and pulling her away from the Galra. Yes, Pidge is badass, but there's only so much she can take.

Pidge squeezes his hand, and suddenly Lance feels something cold trickle in his body. She pulls him, neatly weaving through the throngs of confused soldiers and out through a back entrance.

They hide in the royal greenhouse, nestling themselves amongst large, flowering bushes.

The rest of the Paladins are nowhere in sight.

Pidge breathes heavily, squeezing his hand again and the cold feeling stops.

Lance crouches with his hands on his knees.

"Pidge-"

Flustered, Pidge snatches her hand out of Lance's, waving them around in frantic hand gestures.

"Before you say anything, I only squeezed your hand to activate-"

"-my particle barrier?"

"-yes-wait, no!" Pidge stutters, shooting Lance a glare, cheeks suddenly pink. Probably the exertion, Lance thinks. "It was to activate a new cloaking system I invented. Works for a little while, long enough to conveniently escape."

Upon saying this, something slams into Pidge's feet, knocking them clean under her and landing her on her back.

"Ow!"

Lance lunges forward, throwing an arm out for Pidge, but he is suddenly pulled back by some invisible force, gripping at his torso. He whips around, knocking his elbow into the perpetrator's face, Pidge bounding back up and whipping out her bayard.

"Zethrid?!" Lance yelps. Pidge swings her hook out, catching Zethrid and making her drop Lance. Sudddenly, three more shadowed figures move in the distant forest, approaching at breakneck speed into the light. Pidge moves away from the bushes, for fear that there is still someone there. Zethrid kicks at Lance's knees, driving him down, but he returns the favour with a well aimed punch.

Pidge feels herself being punched in the gut, barely registering the pain from the pure speed and surprise of the movement, flying across the terrain and slamming painfully into the bejeweled wall. Pots fall and break, the whole greenhouse shaking at the impact.

And ah, shit, now the pain is back. ACK-

"Ow, what the hell? Are you an acupuncturist now?!" Pidge complains to a grinning Lotor, Ezor, Acxa and Zethrid, Narti slithering out of the side bushes staring at her and (a beaten up) Lance, forced against the wall. So that's who decided to make her fall flat on her ass.

"I don't know what that is, but okay," Lotor answers, voice tinged with amusement. Acxa is unreadable, Narti too, Ezor just smiling all the goddamn time, and Zethrid looking way too sadistically happy about their pain. Lotor just looks goddamn gorgeous, honestly, but Lance and Pidge don't want to think about that.

Lance shoots Pidge a look. Don't talk. Don't open the mouth. Hold in as much as possible.

Is it possible that Lance had been experiencing the same issues as her? Where statements and opinions just fly out, not just brutally honest answers?

What a time for this development, Pidge thinks bitterly; right before they get captured by five of the deadliest people in the universe, one of which being their very spellcaster.

"Why did you spell us?!" Pidge blurts out. Lance glares at her, something he almost never does, stabbing tiny needles into Pidge. Her face falls, apologetic. Ezor giggles a bit.

"Well, Lotor said he had his reasons, but I can tell that you two definitely need a bit of pushing to get where you want to be!" she laughs out, almost in a friendly manner, if not for the fact that her gang was the one basically keeping them hostage.

"You want us dead, not together," Lance spits out. At first, Lotor cocks an eyebrow, as if surprised by the answer. Then, Lotor tuts, tongue clicking slowly. It sets the two in a trance, almost.

"And that's where you're wrong, Lance. I don't want you dead. You're replaceable, so it doesn't matter if you're dead to me. Doesn't help me much." Pidge nearly wants to lunge at Lotor for saying that, because god, if anyone were  _irreplaceable_  it would be Lance. Pidge wants to scream that out too, but she's A) too curious for what Lotor is about to say, and B) Ezor is ready with the shipping goggles. "What is Voltron's plan in future, Lance?"

Crap. Pidge has figured out a way to manipulate the spell a bit. If she focuses a bit on a part of truth, she can filter it out.

She only prays that Lance, who already nearly had a nonexistent verbal filter before this, has figured out something similar.

He frowns, immediately alerting her. She's found that the more you resist, the more blatant the truth that ensues becomes. She figures that it's the nature of the spell.

Damn Alteans.

"We plan to capture-"

Is that the crack of a whip? The bang of a gun? Swish of a sword?

"-the row of planets-"

A whip snatches out, strategically whacking Lance in the face and knocking him out. The whip flips back, aimed at Lotor, who evades it with no problem.

"Ah, Princess Allura! What an inopportune moment," Lotor greets, smiling that devilish smile of his. Allura smirks on return, not backing down.

"You say inopportune, I say perfectly opportune for me, " she slurs back. Keeping him transfixed on her, she deals a neat slash to his body, which nearly catches him in the side.

"So close!" he taunts. Allura growls, and their dance begins all over again.

Meanwhile, Shiro, Keith and Hunk roll out, immediately marking the Generals for themselves.

Lance helps Pidge up, the two of them probably more injured than the rest. Wherever they were at the time, they were looking a whole lot better than them. Shiro and Zethrid look like they're having a bicep competition, amusingly enough, as they wrangle and tussle.

Hunk takes Ezor, Keith battling Acxa. And what a fight it is.

Suddenly, Allura manages to finally land a blow, getting very frustrated but also very hasty, and Lotor easily knocks her back off her feet in one fell swoop.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, they hear the marching, screaming, shouts, sounds of metal hitting metal.

The Voltron Coalition, not too far from where they are, fiercely battle the soldiers.

Lance bitterly wonders where the hell they were while he and Pidge were fighting.

Lance blanks out for a moment.

Something in his head isn't letting him function.

Too much...

And then he sees Pidge hit over the head, crumpling to the ground.

"PIDGE-!"

~~~

It's the longest five hours of his life.

He spends half of them sitting in front of her in the healing pod, waiting, watching.

Her face looks more serene in sleep than wake, he notes. Pidge always seems so stressed out, rightfully, like he currently is. It's a lot of pressure, being under a truth spell.

At some point, he's not sure when, he kneels in front of the glass and prays.  _Prays._

He knows that the healing pod works wonders, but...there's always a nagging little feeling...

He didn't want to look at her face when he pulled her away, slinging her on his back and sprinting back to his lion before any of the team could stop him. He didn't care about the mission in that moment.

So dangerous.

When she does wake up, bright eyes flying open, he's gone.

No one, not even Coran, tell Pidge about Lance's behaviour. It doesn't even cross her mind, after all, that Lance would even pause in front of her pod for a moment, much less a few hours.

Allura calls a meeting in the recreation room.

"Welcome back, Pidgeon!" Lance grins, throwing his arms open wide as if anticipating a hug. She walks in, rubbing her half-open eyes tiredly. Pidge lazily walks into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting her face fall somewhere at his shoulder. He can't help but cuddle

Lance has to do his best not to steam and scream right there. Pidge never accepts his hugs! What the  _f_ _uck_ is going on?!

Allura snickers, Shiro raises an eyebrow curiously, Hunk giggles, Keith coughs.

Pidge lets go, walking just as sleepily to her spot on the sofa. Maybe she is so tired until she doesn't know what she's doing?

"Pidge, are you feeling alright? Pidge?" Allura taps her, gently giving her a shake.

She nods slowly.

Keith uses his ever so expressive eyebrows to urge Lance on; go keep Pidge alive already! He huffs, heading over and placing Pidge's head on his shoulder, keeping her upright.

"Pidge, Lance," Shiro starts, coughing and looking apprehensive.

Inside, Lance isn't even paying attention. He's thinking about how damn cute Pidge is acting, especially when drowsy. Cute!

And suddenly, she accidentally lets her head fall on Lance, letting out a sleepy yawn.

 _Shit,_ Lance has to cover his face to hide how smiley and red he currently is.

"Lance?"

"Uh-um yes!"

Shiro drops the bomb.

"Allura, Keith and I have decided that you and Pidge will not be going on ground missions until you're cured."

Lance nearly drops Pidge, who immediately wakes up and glares angrily.

"What?!"

"Look, it's not safe, and we think that you guys are acting under the impulse of the spell. It's even worse if you, say, get captured," Keith reasons out, a rarity coming from him. "And Pidge is injured. That too."

"I am fine!"

"You were literally hanging on Lance just now!" Keith argues. "It's not safe!"

"That was all me doing that!" Pidge exclaims in retaliation, "I can't lie, hotshot, I am fine!"

Pidge pauses her rant.

A chuckle.

A snicker.

Hunk smirks.

Keith side-eyes.

Lance reddens.

"W-well," a now stammering Pidge begins, "the point is that I'm fine! Not that Lance is comfortable!"

Allura is the first to start laughing very, very loudly, everyone else except Lance and Pidge joining in.

"Great, you and Lance can cuddle in the Castle while we finish up the mission!" Hunk suggests. Pidge immediately scowls, curling up into a ball and hiding her face. Instinctively, Lance flops back on her, earning an annoyed grunt out of Pidge.

"At least let us stay in the Lions. As backup. We can't communicate information from there," Lance points out, "and Pidge is all well."

"We will see."

Lance and Pidge only hope that it's a yes.

~~~

**DAY 13: CONTINUED**

**VOICEOVER #6:**

_And thus, here comes the grand story of how me and Pidge, under the influence of alien space drugs, managed to complete the ground mission while in_ _spaceships_ -

The Lions are pretty flexible, though.

_Shh, Pidge, I'm telling it in the dramatic way you wanted. What happened to the storyteller?_

I was being sarcastic, in case you couldn't notice, which I think you haven't.

_Love you too._

"DUDE!"

Lance quickly freezes a whole group of Galra, jumping and trampling a bunch of them. Pidge does the same, aggressively aiming and demolishing the targets.

They only pray they don't kill or damage the Galaxorians.

In that moment, Pidge wonders if it's really worth it. All this fighting. Aggression.

Lance and Pidge switch on the group intercoms, hearing aggressive screams and grunts from the other four.

Pidge sees the path clearly; what they need to do. Their task, today, was to clear Galaxor of Galra influence; Lotor and the Generals had taken the castle and had quickly spread their influence throughout the capital city, rooting Galra soldiers throughout the towns. Everywhere.

Pidge needs to draw the soldiers away. Give them the opportunity.

"Lance!"

"Yes, mi'lady?"

"Oh Jesus, don't call me that-" Pidge cuts herself off, shaking her head frustratedly. "-anyway, Lance, you need to draw the army to the right. I'll get the left. Once we separate the armies, the main bunch can infiltrate the castle and draw out Lotor," she rambles. Looking out, she already sees the Blue Lion flying off, Lance dutifully obeying.

Pidge knows that the rest can hear to, so she hopes that they agree with the plan. Well, either way, she's going to do it. The truth spell is kind of forcing her to, anyway.

"Always so smart," he remarks, as he casually fires down a bunch of the soldiers.

"I would say flattery would get you nowhere, but I'm not allowed to tell lies, " Pidge grits her teeth, the words slipping out between them. She can hear Lance chuckling from the other end of the intercom.

"Nice to know I've got an effect on you like you do on me," Lance remarks, sounding a little distracted. And that gets Pidge distracted, at least once she comprehends what he means. God, the spell...

"Dear god, Lance, can you not?" Pidge hushes. She can almost see him rolling his eyes at her from the other end.

"Well, sorry if my flirting is distracting you!" he protests. Pidge nearly halts the Green Lion, eyebrows furrowing and eyes narrowing suspiciously. Is that a glimmer of hope in the horizon?

Wait no, that's just the Galaxorian equivalent to a sunrise. Not her metaphor, unfortunately.

-insert Pidge.exe has crashed-

"Flirting?" she dares to question, almost violating her own rules. Don't make him uncomfortable. Don't do unto him what would piss herself the hell off.

"Well, Lancey Lance thinks you're great, despite what you may think, and he also thinks you're pretty damn oblivious-"

"Guys!" Keith's voice blares from the intercom, and both Lance and Pidge freeze up in realisation that the WHOLE TEAM WAS ON THE INTERCOM, INCLUDING CORAN. "We hacked the castle! They're out! We have to go now, pick us up at these coordinates, and stop flirting for god's sake, it's fucking disgusting!" he screams, quiet murmurs of 'yeah', 'distracted', 'totally in love' and 'please why' ambiguously filling up the background noise.

Pidge and Lance hit the accelerator, flying up and speeding the lions over to the castle, the coordinates Keith had sent.

"Well, someone's jealous that they aren't smooth enough to flirt," Lance tuts. Pidge bursts out laughing.

"Look who's talking!"

~~~

Turns out Lance isn't so smooth after all.

~~~

**DAY 16**

"I'm just going to go to the library now. Work on the spell," Pidge reasons to a believing Keith. He shrugs.

"Yeah, okay," he agrees. "The faster you get rid of the damn spell, the faster we can get Voltron back on its feet.

Pidge finds that funny. She and Lance are the arms, after all.

"Bye, then."

Hands tucked in pockets, feet gently brushing the floor as she walks, Pidge heads her way to the massive Altean library, the massive Altean library that she can't seem to find this  _one_ piece of information that she needs.

Seriously?!

With a strong push, Pidge forces the grand door open, heading into the still-unfamiliar library. Almost unconsciously, she nagivates to that same spot where the first part of the cryptic spell had been found. The little square, hidden among beautiful and amazingly tall bookshelves.

And she finds Lance McClain, frozen to the spot, staring at a piece of parchment.

"Lance?"

He turns to her, holding up the paper.

"Pidge, have you seen this?"

Curiously, she steps forward and peers at the paper, relaxing her head on Lance's shoulder.

_Though this spell brings out truth,_

_There's one thing it can hide,_

_A deepest darkest secret,_

_Hiding inside the mind_

_The spell lasts for a month of moon,_

_Unless someone decides,_

_To reveal their deepest secret,_

_To the world from_ _the inside_

"Shit."

Pidge pulls out her phone, showing a surprised Lance images of the first part of the poem.

"You saw this and you didn't tell me about it?" Lance questions, sounding a bit affronted. Pidge scoffs, playfully making a face and continuing on.

"Wait, we need to search the whole place first. See if we can find another loose paper. I've never been able to find information about the spell in books," she says, eyes already scanning the place, "but the thing is, both pieces of the spell have just appeared here. Without warning."

Pidge sits on the ground, staring at that one spot of carpet as if she could magically will another paper to appear.

"Why don't we go back to your room and check the paper?" Lance suggests.

Not a bad idea.

"According to the pattern, another one isn't gonna appear anywhere else but here," Lance states, "so we should analyse what we have."

"When did you get so analytical?" Pidge blurts out. Shit. But hey, it only makes Lance laugh.

"Looks like I've been spending too much time with you!"

"Is that supposed to be an insult or compliment?!"

Lance pauses.

"I think it's both? Anyway, come on Pidge, I'll piggyback you to your room," Lance offers kindly, Pidge leaping on his back without hesitation. She'd be stupid to give up the chance to grow five feet taller (totally not an internal excuse that she'd like Lance carrying her...)

As he carries her out, running, Pidhe can't help but nestle her face next to his, around his neck, which kind of makes him halt for a moment before he pushes the door open and heads out.

"You tease..." he mutters, but Pidge doesn't catch on.

Maybe she does kind of like hanging around him. Maybe she does kind of get jealous when he flirts with other girls. Maybe...she wishes she were one of them. But then she remembers that she likes herself a whole lot better, and Lance isn't worth losing everything good about her.

"You're so light!" Lance exclaims, turning his head and suddenly coming way to close to her, Pidge's lips nearly brushing his nose. He stops, surprised and blinking rapidly, before resuming his usual cheer and running again.

Pidge tries to swear that she didn't imagine a tinge of pink on his cheeks. And that she's not thinking about how his hands now grip her bare thighs her shorts ridden up. She's totally focusing on the mystery of Altean spell books.

He drops her off, smacking his hands together and seeming pleased with himself.

"That must be a new record!"

"Can't be, only counts as a record of you've tested me as a subject before," Pidge corrects, against her will. Lance tuts, waggling his finger in her face, correcting her with an air of pride.

"I have tested you before, I think at least five times? I can't really remember. How exactly do you think you fall asleep in the library and magically wake up in your room?"

Pidge blanches.

"Wait, what?"

"You always fall asleep in the library because you've been working so hard, " he answers, "so I end up carrying you back here and pray I don't trip over your junk."

Does she really fall asleep there so much? She doesn't remember anything other than the library before she sleeps. How did it take her so long to notice?

Jesus, and why does she turn so red when he says that? Is he seeing her right now?!

"Anyway, lets go in, I really need to check that spell paper."

How exactly is she supposed to just act normal after that??? How does he act so casual after that great, life-changing revelation?

Right, truth spell.

Pidge acts as normal as she can.

She acts normal when he lies down beside her and laughs so brightly.

She acts normal when he compliments her for being smart and brilliant and all that.

She acts normal when he says she's great.

She acts normal when he gets a little too close while they lie on her bed, worn out from their stupid games.

Pidge  _acts_  normal.

~~~

Night comes quickly.

Or at least, the closest to night they can get out in freaking space.

And Lance is definitely surprised.

See, for possibly the first time, Pidge fell asleep before he did, splayed on the bed. Fell asleep with her face in the first spell paper. Kind of a funny sight, her glasses pushed up, mouth drooping open, hair messed up. But at the same time...Lance can't help but find it kind of cute.

Damn, there goes his heart.

They ended up spending most of their night together playing with Pidge's gadgets or talking rather than actually trying to fix the spell paper. And the spell.

It's strange. Shouldn't they be a bit more motivated to save themselves?

Upon further inspection, Pidge had noticed more strange markings on the back of the second spell paper Lance had found. And chastised Lance for not noticing it sooner. And didn't he compliment her after that, without thinking? Without thinking about what she might think?

He'd even made an attempt to get closer to her. Well, his rational mind wouldn't have allowed him...something forced him to do it. Can't really tame it either. Why the hell it had decided to come in the form of sudden hugs, lying beside her, leaning on her, letting her do the same, Lance has no idea. Not that he minds it.

It's suddenly so quiet, without Pidge talking next to him. Suddenly sort of lonely. Lance sits up, pulling the blanket over Pidge, gently tugging her glasses off and folding them, placing them on her nightstand. The spell paper goes back on the table, joining the first.

Is it creepy to stare at her? She looks calm, unusual for her in these strange times where she's hyper stressed. Or worried. Or annoyed. Or an imbalanced mix of the three. Lance doesn't want to admit that he likes looking at her, but he does. A lot. It's not the radiant beauty that Allura just projects, it's something he likes more. She's home to him.

He pushes back her hair, wondering what she would look like with long hair. Would she still look like herself?

"Damnit, Pidge, stop making me like this..." he mutters.

"Mhmm?"

Lance nearly jumps back from a mumbling Pidge.

"Oh. Sleeptalking again."

Too much shit in her brain. It never stops. She's non-stop.

"Like...Lan..."

"What?"

"Like Lance," she says, this time much more clearly. And that startled Lance, because it was obviously the truth spell! Pidge is never that nice to him in real life.

What if she meant it differently?

What if she means it like he does?

What is she...?

"Like Lance how?"

Lance holds his breath.

"...I...don't...know."

~~~

Pidge doesn't remember anything save for blurry memories of a night-lit Lance looking at her with eyes more tender then she'd ever seen.

Did she confess?

She doesn't know.

~~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth or Dare.

**VOICEOVER #HOWMANYPIDGE???:**

Dammit Lance, you can't even remember how many?

_I'm sorry, maybe I'm just_ _extremely annoyed and blur because I actually have no idea how this system works?_

Neither do I, frankly. I have a feeling that Allura and Shiro are up to something.

_Seriously?_

Yeah

_We should probably get on with the narration now. After all..._

What...

_It's getting to the good part._

Oh.

_Yes. Let's go._

You're way too eerily calm... It's terrifying. But anyway, on to the story!

~~~

**DAY 17:**

"I swear, you're going to be the death of me!" Pidge laughs, playfully shoving an attacking Lance's hands away from her. He pretends to tickle her, smirking.

"What, you air-ticklish?" He sticks his tongue out, diving at her again. Pidge quickly darts away, twisting before Lance's long, outstretched fingers penetrate her midriff.

They probably shouldn't be playing such an aggressive game of cat and mouse in the library, of all places, but that's where they end up after sprinting through practically the whole castle, much to Keith and Allura's chagrin.

"Not air-ticklish!" she exclaims, happily leaping and avoiding another attack. Pidge chooses for herself to attack for once; she launches herself at Lance, who gets legitimately startled and stumbles back in surprise.

And for once, Pidge's calculations are off.

You see, she jumps too far...and she jumps and lands directly on top of a fallen Lance McClain, their faces centimeters apart, stopped only by her hands slamming down beside his head.

"Ah-um-oops."

He chuckles.

"You like what you see?" Lance, eyes half-lidded and smile dancing, tilts his chin up questionable. Pidge, red, can't take her gaze elsewhere, because her eyes have already been captured.

"Honestly, yes," she replies slowly, immediately groaning and shaking herself dramatically. That seems to have some kind of effect on Lance, funnily enough.

"Aww, you're very pretty too," Lance compliments back, turning Pidge red as hell.

Wait.

What's that...?

Beside Lance's head is another paper. A third spell paper!

Pidge grabs it, still careful not to rumple it. Lance gets up, still not shoving Pidge off his lap.

"It's a third poem! And I think it's the last!"

_And unto final day of twenty eight,_

_If truth is forced not freely shown,_

_Shall the spell stay rooted forever,_

_For honesty was never grown._

Lance raises his eyebrows.

"Altean language is weird."

Pidge flips the paper over, seeing the same strange markings on the back. Bluish. She hands Lance the paper and stands up, helping him up too.

"Could you get a picture of the three papers?"

Lance nods. Pidge puts her hand on his shoulder, smiling. And somehow, this gentle act has more effect on him than her little act of lap wriggling. (sure, Pidge, that would do nothing to him!")

The smile makes him happy, and it's not even his own.

"Thanks, Lance."

"No problem."

**DAY 18:**

"Umm...dare."

What other choice is there for a girl under a truth spell playing truth or dare with a bunch of nosy friends? Pidge, legs crossed, puts on a confident aura as she looks around the circle of friends.

Why had they even elected to play truth or dare in the first place?

Shiro grins vindictively, eye glinting and grin cheekier than usual. He rubs his hands together, gesturing for the rest of the team. Lance is shooed away.

He turns back to a now-nervous Pidge.

"Okay. Either you change into the ballgown again and give us a five minute long perfect rendition of Beyonce, or you sit on Lance's lap for the rest of the game."

Pidge doesn't hesitate, sliding on Lance's lap as smoothly as Don Quixote, ignoring the burn on (both) their faces. She wriggles a little bit, settling into her new home for the while, resisting the urge to try and give Lance a boner. That would be really funny. 

Of course Keith chooses to take a picture. And Hunk. And Shiro. And Allura.

Pidge doesn't protest it, neither does Lance, strangely enough.

"Comfortable?"

Pidge turns around, wriggling a little teasingly and making a face at Lance.

"Too comfortable."

Lance smirks, about to say something in return, before Keith coughs and scowls.

"Can you two stop flirting and get on with the game?" 

"Excuse you, our flirting is great," Lance retorts, jokingly wrapping his arms around Pidge's waist and grinning, Pidge leaning her head back on his shoulder. Dear god, did they look like a couple?

"Our flirting really isn't, but you're not bad anyway," Pidge corrects.

Wait.   
Oh.   
Oops.

"Um," Lance coughs, "It's Pidge's turn."

Pidge crawls off his lap, providing Lance with a breather to get himself under control, as he watches her tentatively reach for the bottle.

She spins the bottle, the neck grinding slowly to a stop, pointing straight at her.

"Looks like that got Lance," Shiro observes, "because he's right behind you."

"Is he? Never would have guessed, Shiro." Pidge rolls her eyes, shifting back and plopping herself on Lance's lap, jokingly draping herself on Lance like he's a bed to annoy him. "Truth or dare, Lance?"

"Hmm...dare?"

Lance looks at her pleadingly, but really adoring and adorable puppy eyes can't stop a truth spell that apparently now extends to truths unrelated to questions, thanks a lot! Pidge chooses to hop off his lap again.

"Kiss anyone in the room. Aaaaanyone."

Wow, what a dare, Pidge! Literally everyone playing is pretty damn gorgeous, so Lance should have no problem. She watches his eyes wander the room, not really focusing on anyone. But he does inch towards Pidge, slowly at first, and then faster.

Pidge, cross-legged, only looks on with surprised, wide eyes, a little growing tinge of red on her face, as Lance clambers in front of her, their knees alternating, placing them closer than would be usually acceptable.

"Me, huh?" she jokes, smirking.

"Don't ask me why."

That's a strange statement.

Lance leans in, Pidge resisting the urge to just jump up at kiss the daylights out of him. Just-just could he at least get it done faster?

And he comes close, so close...

But she is curious, breathing out a single word. She can't help it.

Her eyes flutter shut.

She leans in too.

"Why?"

Lance halts, the moment gone, blinking wide and fast.

"I asked you not to ask me that," Lance, a little annoyed, says. He frowns, pushing himself up and sitting back in his place.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't answer it. The spell doesn't let me. And I don't like it," Lance explains, sounding a lot more morose and frustrated than usual.

Pidge almost forgets the presence of the Paladins in the room, lost.

"So why me?" she tries again. It's stupid to ask again, redundant and unnecessary, but she can't help it! She's a curious person under a truth spell!

"Because-because-"

Lance struggles to croak out even a word, as if he has a frog stuck in his throat.

Allura looks concerned. Keith looks concerned. And Lance, visibly angry now, swings himself up, moving fast enough to blow Pidge's hair askew, running out and off to the corridor.

Pidge jumps up to follow him, but she feels an arm tugging on her sleeve, pulling her back down. Irate, she snatches her arm back, glaring at Allura.

"Pidge-"

"What?!"

Allura sighs, fixing her with a strangely maternal stare. Something she hadn't seen in a long while. Also a bit jarring, considering the Princess's teenagehood. 

"Calm down."

"I need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" she protests. She nearly jets off before Hunk surprisingly yells after her.

"How do we know you won't do some thing stupid?"

Hunk covers his mouth, blinking. Pidge stops, turning back to the team, clenching her jaw.

"Do you think I'm stupid just because I-I-"

Lance is right.

She can't say it.

She can't say the deepest, darkest secret she has. If he couldn't say it...do they both feel the same way?

Since the Garrison, Pidge might have kind of had a thing for that guy who was possibly the only person who'd tried to befriend her. Totally wasn't a reason why she had stayed her distance.

But now...after maybe a year of fighting...something changed?

"We don't think you're stupid. We're just scared you two might do something stupid," Shiro explains as gently as he can, hands willing her down. Like a tiger (lion?) that can't be tamed. The truth spell is worsening, so bad, til she feels like she's hormonal all the time, just fifty times worse now.

Pidge hates this so fucking much. It's making everything worse. Pidge doesn't make a scene, Pidge doesn't create drama, Pidge doesn't want to act like this. But there's something carnal that she's never really been able to tame, and that's the desires that she bottles up away in her room, in her heart. 

Goddamn this spell. 

Isn't it just supposed to be the truth?

Pidge always thought the truth was good, but maybe this was starting to change her mind. 

She's losing control, and it wasn't even her own fault.

It's not her fault when she screams angrily, shooting looks and glares and immature insults at the team.

It's not her fault when her drugged brain warps the story, the villains the Paladins who think she's some kind of lovesick fool.

It's not her fault when she runs to Lance.

It's not her fault.

It's not her fault.

~~~

Lance isn't expecting any visitors during his mild emotional breakdown, but he ends up with a wild Pidge Gunderson at his door (room?) step.

The door slides open, and she runs in towards him, stopping very suddenly before him. And he stops, blanching.

She looks like she's forgotten what she came for.

"Uh, Pidge?"

"What?" she snaps, suddenly shaking her head and softening. "Sorry."

"I kind of want to be alone right now,"  Lance says. "I need some time to think without truths spilling out from my heart to the world." His voice is so darn cynical.

"I'm not the world," she reminds, sitting down next to him. Lance's inner voice shakes his head frantically, crossing his hands, frowning. Like alarms telling him to stop  _now_.

Well, Lance supposes that it's because Pidge happens to be his world. His whole world. 

"Are you okay?"

No.

"No," he answers, "but I will be after i just work through some problems."

"Work through them with me," she suggests. "We've got problems. We can fix them together."

Pidge deserves more than him, especially right now. She deserves someone brave, strong, amazingly intelligent,  _amazing_. She doesn't need someone who can't even comfort her.

"I'll help you," he replies, almost with the air of a promise. And like old times, they flop down onto Pidge's bed side by side, reclining and turning to face each other. Lance, in a slightly better mood now, playfully entangles their legs, Pidge kicking back at him and laughing, the two of them just a little bit happier already from sharing some time together. 

"Did you sprint here from the common room or something? You're literally red," Lance wriggles closer to Pidge, moving his face and squinting.

"Uh yes, I did sprint here from the common room," she answers, "but I'm not red because of it. I don't get tired that easily."

"Then why?"

Ahah. 

"I may be enjoying the close proximity between us," Pidge admits, immediately rolling to the other side before she can see any kind of reaction from Lance. (and Lance starts praying that the truth spell doesn't make him admit the same). "But-but anyway..."

"Hey."

Lance gently pulls at her shoulder, prompting Pidge to turn back. Woah, did he get even closer? He tugs at her a little more, as if asking for her permission, Pidge loosening and rolling down into his embrace; he hugs her, Pidge lying on top of him and looking so straight at him, her body half on his. PIdge can relax for the first time in a long time, frankly. It's been a while. 

Not to mention that she loves the intimacy of it. Not that she would say that out loud. No.

"Do you know what we should do? Get away from here for a while. After we kick Zarkon's balls, castrate Lotor, make Allura Queen of the goddamn universe, let's just go," Lance says. Is he sounding too hopeful? Too desperate? Was this like inviting her on a mega-date with all the strings attached? Lance isn't really sure. 

"Let's go back to Earth," he suggests. Pidge's imagining it, flying around the Universe together, just being stupid teenagers in stupid lions with stupid ideas and dreams. Dreams. "We'll find your brother, then your father, and then we'll drop them off in Earth. Take a holiday. I won't even go to the beach to flirt, because we'll be too busy eating burgers and ice cream and going to amusement parks and running around the cities and outskirts."

It's all a dream that they might never have, a dream of a life without a war to fight, a dream where Pidge can leave and find her family again. Imagine Matt meeting Lance. Now that would be one hell of a shitstorm; memes, shitposts and flirting. Pidge thinks about how Matt would love Lance as a brother in law, and she goes all red again. 

"I'll go with you," she blurts out. "I'll go with you."

Pidge isn't stupid. This isn't what friends do. Friends don't lie intimately on each other, look into each other's eyes and proclaim dreams of travelling together and meeting families. No, this was more than that, and she only hopes that's what Lance wants. She's pretty sure of it, but not completely. Does he love her too?

Even if it were true, Lance feeling the same way, he would never show it like he would with other girls. How he flirts with Allura every few seconds, talks about Nyma, gushes with Plaxum. Lance doesn't do any of that with Pidge. She has no way of knowing. 

But she's brave, and that's why she's here, right?

She's brave, stupid, under a truth spell, and in love. 

Love.

Love?

Love?!

Pidge leans down slowly, eyes half-lidded, glasses askew. Her little stubs of hair tickle Lance's face, Lance's dazed and stunned face, lips slightly parted. Pidge leans down further, eyes never leaving Lance's like a plea; tell me, tell me, tell me.

  _I have to know._

And she nearly does it. Nearly kisses him right there, does the irrational thing, nearly jumps on him and presses her lips to his. But she doesn't, that thread of possible future cut off forever.

Because Takashi Shirogane runs in, screaming about  Lotor's sneak invasion of Galaxor, how it was nearly lost, how Eejin is no longer sitting in her castle alone in Galaxor, and how they  _have to go now._

Everything becomes a blur after that. Time blurs, moments blur together incomprehensibly.

Pidge barely remembers how she and Lance raced to the lions, giving each other one last hand squeeze and some kind of look before running into the lions and flying into the airspace.

~~~

Galaxor was  _ruined._

But that doesn't mean they back down, no, because Pidge Gunderson is a fierce girl with no more common sense or inhibition, and Lance will do anything to protect her too.

It feels good, destroying all those Galra ships. Pidge doesn't feel any remorse today. Pidge doesn't feel the remorse she usually does, the guilt of war. 

She doesn't feel it when she smashes a fleet with the lion, sends a ship flying into another.

She doesn't feel remorse when she crushes a soldier under her foot, when she frantically electrocutes so many just to get to the throne room. Pushes the door open, screams Eejin's name, but all she finds are scattered remnants of a Galaxorian cape and a crown hanging teasingly on the throne, still turning, moving, taunting Pidge so meanly. 

Lance has to drag her back to her Lion after that. 

Lance isn't so happy either; he likes Eejin, and definitely King Andreas. Who knows what happened to him? Lance isn't quite as affected as a very angry and despondent Pidge seems to be, giving him some mind space to mull it over. Lance doesn't hide things quite as much, save from perhaps the mild insecurities and opinions he hides away, but Pidge...Pidge is surprising in so many ways. 

The whole day she spends fighting like the Great Fire of London of 1666; she fights the Galra, she fights for a lost Galaxor, she fights to go attack Lotor now. Strike when he thinks they're weak, defeated, vulnerable. Fight and win back everything they've lost, from the Princess, to the King, to the success of the alliance with Galaxor. 

Shiro didn't even let Pidge be present when they Skype-called (not really, but still...) the Prince, his trademarked calm and neutral appearance irking the Paladins the moment he appeared onscreen. 

"I have Princess Eejin. I have King Andreas. I have Galaxor," he started immediately, pointed teeth appearing as he enunciates his words clearly and strongly, as if making a point from a diplomatic point of view. But this was no where near diplomatic, and that was annoying as hell. 

But just when the Paladins (minus Pidge) think he's done bragging about his multitude of victories, like how he's installed Galra tech into the whole of Galaxor in the short time of his reign, Lotor speaks even more again. Like they are his final words.

"And tell your Pidge Gunderson that I have someone he might be interested in finding." Then, he smiles, as if unable to keep in his twisted glee, and the paladins immediately blanch, pale, eyes widen, having a good guess at what Lotor might say next. 

"Pidge might want to get his brother from my ship, don't you think?"

~~~

"Pidge-"

"-he has Matt?"

Shiro and Lance, sitting opposite to Pidge, had to force themselves to tell her. Yes, it was great news that they've finally gotten a location on Matt Holt...but Lance knows Pidge isn't an optimist under a truth spell. 

"Prince Lotor has my brother?"

Pidge is nearly unreadable, surprisingly. Lance doesn't have the will to figure out what exactly that means. 

"We need to go get him. We need to go get him now before Lotor does something to him!" Pidge stands up, as if ready to head in the direction of the her Lion, but Lance grabs her wrist, releasinig it the moment that she turns back to him, his heart dropping when he sees her face.

The way she looks at him now is not how she's supposed to look at him. 

Lance wants to blame the truth spell, but a little voice underneath blames himself. 

"Pidge, it's not safe. Coran and Allura have been analysing the situation, and Lotor's already put up his defenses since after-"

"-This is why I said we have to strike him at the heart, not at Galaxor-"

"-the battle, and because of the interplanetary cycle we can't touch him without being detected. It's almost impossible to infiltrate now."

The air in the room grows still, and Lance can see the tension on Pidge's face growing, and growing, and growing...

She shuts her eyes, clenches every muscle in her face and shakes her fist. Then, Pidge storms out, not running, but tortuously walking out of the room like she's the bigger person. Lance knows she's not. She's just under stress, right?

She won't do anything stupid. 

Right?

Before Pidge leaves the room, though, she turns back to them, with the most angry face painted onto her, an angrier face than Lance had possibly ever seen as if she's about to open her mouth and yell something defiant, angry, or insulting.

Instead, she says something so heartbreaking, so clearly directed to Lance amidst her daze.

"I trusted you to help me, but I guess I'm on my own here."

Then, she whirls around, a little sound of an angry sob the last thing they hear before she walks away.

"Pidge-wait!"

Before Lance can follow after her, Shiro grabs his wrist.

"I know that it hurts, but what she said was the truth. We can't stand with her on this one." It's so absolutely true, and Shiro looks sad that he's saying it, but it's completely true.  "She needs to sort through what she's feeling right now."

"Shiro, she brought me back when I thought I should have been alone. She helped me because she reached out," Lance protests, tilting his chin up and furrowing his brows. Shiro sighs.

"Lance, stay here."

Revolted, confused, and slightly bemused, Lance makes a face of disgust.

"What happened to you?" he says before he can stop himself. "You're not yourself anymore."

That hits Shiro hard, making him falter in his commanding stance for a moment.

"You don't mean that."

"I'm under a truth spell. I mean every little thing I say, whether I want to or not!"

Hunk, Keith and Allura burst in the room at the sound of the argument, looking stunned, startled and concerned at the sight of Shiro and Lance having a stand-off.

Shiro looks more offset and upset, which alerts Keith to the nature of the conversation, but Lance could care less what Keith thought. What Hunk thought. What Allura thought. Right now, all he wanted was to leave, and Shiro was stopping him.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you let Pidge leave?!" Lance reminds, gesturing to space. "Because I think you've forgotten. Maybe because you didn't really care for anyone other than your perfect right hand man."

"Lance!"

"Oh yeah, Allura, do you really want to butt in right now? Do you think it's a right time?" Lance sasses. He's horrified at himself internally, the words spilling out of his mouth umintentional and unwanted, but one hundred percent true.

Is this what he's become?

"Shiro is one of the most caring people we all know. He sacrificed himself, in case you've chosen to ignore that fact!"

"Yeah, you guys have cared for everyone except possibly me! Some shit went wrong? Probably Lance! Lance nearly losing the blue lion? Dammit, Lance, stop eyeing girls! Lance being a sharpshooter is a joke? Damn straight!"

Lance turns on his heel, forcing himself to leave even with everything in his brain flashing and telling him to stay. He wants to leave before he fucks up even more shit with possibly the only people he cares about.

His feet slam on the floor of the Castle, echoing loud, legs pumping and propelling him down faster and faster with every step.

More importantly, he  _needs_ to leave to find Pidge. Make sure she's okay and safe and fine and alive and still here and-

Wait.

Where is...Pidge?

There's no sound coming from her room.

Lance frantically runs in, searching and scanning for answers everywhere, not seeing Pidge at all. But he notices missing papers, bulletins, robots, a picture of a sunset. Her little alien friends are gone too.

No...

Powered by adrenaline, Lance sprints out of the room and to the Lion hangars as fast as he can, racing to the where the green lion should be, standing tall and proud.

But it isn'tthere.

Lance crumples, knees buckling and folding in, face unmoving, barely breathing. Frozen to the spot. Keith, Hunk, Allura and Shiro run in soon after, similarly stunned and disbelieving. But Lance is hit the hardest.

Pidge is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tears. Anger. Pain.

(art by @mclanchez-dictionary on Tumblr)

**DAY 18: CONTINUED**

"Lance-"

"THIS IS WHY I SAID TO FOLLOW HER. BECAUSE I HAD A FEELING SHE WAS GOING TO RUN, WHETHER SHE WANTED TO OR NOT!"

He collapses wearily on the sofa of the recreation room, the rest of Voltron and Coran concernedly pacing the room, quietly debating, trying to analyse Lance.

He looked kind of broken.

"We'll get her back, Lance. She's our family," Keith says softly. Shiro nods in silent agreement.

"I let her go," Lance breathes out quietly, eyes glassy as if in a daze. "I knew she did going to go, and I let her go." He pauses. "I let..Pidge...go."

"It wasn't your fault," Shiro jumps in, like he can practically see and hear the alarms going off all around him. Lance, still holding on to the tension, looks down at the floor.

"I had the chance to stop her, but I didn't. I couldn't. And now Lotor has her."

Allura blanches, stepping up to Lance and placing a hand on his shoulder, pushing his body up, directing his gaze to her.

Its startling, how dead and tired he looks. And worried. And anxious. All for Pidge.

"Listen, Lance. It's not your fault. Even if you had tried to stop her, the spell wouldn't have let her stay," Allura reminds.

Silence hangs in the air.

"I should have gone with her," Lance finally comes to a conclusion. "I could have stopped her. If I could have changed what she really wanted, she wouldn't have gone."

Allura raises her eyebrows.

"How exactly do you have such good knowledge of the spell?"

Lance sighs, huffing out and slamming his hands on his lap, getting up and rubbing his fingers subconsciously.

"I think you'll want to come with me."

~~~

The air of the Galra prison is cold, unwelcoming, stale, the showpiece of the dark and emptied room being a tied-up, furious Pidge Gunderson.

Hands bound above her head, legs bound in a spreadeagle, Pidge can already feel her whole body aching and hurting from exhaustion. Her Paladin suit does nothing to help, and her Bayard is unreachable from this position.

Luckily, she's good at hiding things.

Unless it's the truth. Then she has a problem.

"Did you really think infiltrating the Galra prison would be so easy, Pidge?"

Lotor paces the room, cape sweeping behind him, regal hair shining bright in the relative darkness of the purple-black room.

"Not easy, but certainly doable," she answers, not even flinching, not even losing his gaze. "And it's Gunderson to you."

"Okay, I'll respect that, Gunderson. But I'd also like you to tell me something."

No, no, no, no, no, Pidge cannot afford to lose everything, answer to him, give up her secrets and Voltron's secrets just because she...she hadn't been able to break a spell. And because she had been irrational, unable to control herself.

And Lance...

She misses Lance.

Who knew what could happen in one month?

He's really the only good that's come out of this whole scandal. He's the only reason why she'd ever want to tell the truth.

Telling the truth had undeniably brought them closer, and she was grateful for that.

Lotor stares at her.

"Tell me your deepest, darkest secret. The only secret that the spell doesn't compel. I want you to tell me, and I'll drop you happily back at your precious Castle."

Lotor's eyes glint surreptitiously. Hands folded behind back, head tilted downwards, he stops pacing in front of her.

"So?"

"Why do you want to know that?" Pidge questions, cocking an eyebrow.

Lotor laughs, probably the most emotion he's shown throughout the whole interrogation.

"Knowing a person's darkest secret can tell me so much more about them, don't you think?"

He steps closer to her, Pidge able to feel his inhumanly cold breath on the tip of her nose. She growls in a feeble attempt to keep him away, inciting laughter.

He's right, though.

Lotor had always made perfect sense, and this was yet another one of those situations.

Goddamn.

~~~

"It seems that we are in a bit of a predicament," Coran remarks offhandedly as the team eyeball the three leaflets of interconnecting papers.

"Ya think?" Lance sasses, bending down and peering at it.

"Lance."

"I'm under a truth spell. It's a little hard to be 24/7 polite," he responds, making a face at Allura.

Hunk rearranges the papers, arranging them in order, creating a vertical line.

"That's the order of the poem, right?" he asks, glancing at Lance, who answers with a nod.

Hunk tries turning it upside down.

Shiro tries turning it horizontally.

You see, yes, they understand the poem; in other words, he and Pidge were dead if they couldn't confess their deepest secret.

He needs to tell Pidge.

Even if Pidge didn't love him back...he has to tell her.

Coran had the idea of finding some extra information, perhaps hidden in the physical copy of the poem itself.

Allura, Coran, and pretty much everyone else  _definitely_ weren't mad that they hadn't been told about the whole poem. Not that they could have helped it, right?

Lance finally grabs the papers out of irritation when he sees Hunk about to tear it ("what if there's something hidden inside the paper?") in half.

Holding it the right order, Lance flips it down, revealing the intricate set of markings spiralling across the surface of the paper.

"Here."

Something clicks.

Suddenly, Lance has a thought. It's an Altean spell right? Maybe all it needs is an Altean. And it doesn't get any more Altean than an Altean princess.

"Allura."

"What?"

"Touch the paper-right here," he directs. Questioningly, she raises an eyebrow, but doesn't end up asking. Her slim fingers tentatively graze the paper.

And it bursts into blinding, blue colour.

~~~  
 **VOICEOVER #CANWESTOPALREADY:**

I went missing and you want to name this part of the voice-overs like that??? Not to mention the next part was really pretty terrible?

_Issa joke, Pidge_

Fine then!

_Nononono come_ _back I need my cuddles-_

Lanc-! Jesus-

_Aww, you don't like it?_

Maybe not where it is now.

_Hmm, and where would you prefer it?_

Oh-okay-fuck how do I turn this off-LANCE

~~~

The only good thing Lotor did was let Eejin and Pidge be prison roommates.

Wow, what has her life sunk to?

"Did he question you?" Pidge asks desperately, straining against the bonds of her handcuffs and leg bondages.

"Did he hurt you? Did he do something to you?"

Pidge gets no answer, not even a sound in reply.

Pidge is so lonely that she's resorted to talking to an unconscious princess.

Eejin.

_Please wake up._

There's time.

There's hope.

~~~

Much like the time that Allura had introduced the lions, the room fills with a vibrant, blue glow, shimmering with transitioning images. Allura looks awed, her hand still touching the aged parchment paper, her eyes bright and wide as she stares.

"Seems like you have found an ancient archival record, Lance," Coran states, peering at the ever-shifting images. "How exactly did you come around this? We haven't found an archived book so old since we woke up."

Lance honestly doesn't know. The mystic appearance of the papers whenever he and Pidge were together was a mystery that he-they-would probably never solve.

Lance settles for shrugging. Coran returns the motion, focusing his attention back on the lights.

Now, Altean characters swirl around the lights, and Coran jumps.

"I recognise this! Oh, it makes so much sense now-I thought it was a Galran spell, but it's not-My grandfather used to tell me stories of this spell!"

Allura jolts.

"Your grandfather also handled the royal prisons and executions?!"

Hunk, Shiro, Keith and Lance jump.

"What?!"

Coran's eye glint, fingers tousling his moustache to perfection.

Story time!

"This spell was engineered for interrogations; criminals only. Only Alteans can concote it, so we could control the circulation. I mean, look what happens when it gets out of hand!"

"Hey, at least I didn't grow myself a moustache or mullet!"

"Hey, what do you-!"

"Continuing on, the spell would cause the prisoner to reveal everything, but it was not only a spell: it was also a test. My grandfather said the spell gave the prisoner the chance to willingly tell the truth and redeem themselves."

Lance arches an eyebrow.

"The spell gave them the time-a month of moon-to tell their deepest secret."

Something clicks.

Did Lotor spell them specifically? Target them because he knew a secret between them might break them apart?

Maybe he did.

As Allura finds out more details, the other Paladins engrossed in the extra majestic details of the magical truth spell that had tormented Lance for days now, Lance's brain goes elsewhere.

He needs to talk to Pidge. He needs to tell her.

She's the only secret that he's had yet to reveal.

"-if the truth isn't revealed by the end of the month, the prisoner would be stuck telling the truth forever-or, at least until their execution."

"You sound a bit too excited about that," Lance remarks, folded arms and raised eyebrows. Yes, he's going to end up being a dick 99% of the time now. Controlling himself isn't exactly an option.

"So you're saying that we need to get Lance to confess his deepest secret in practically  _nine_ days?" Shiro questions. Coran nods.

"It seems so!"

Lance sees Hunk and Allura's eyes gleam, and he knows he is so freaking dead.

~~~

**VOICEOVER #IGIVEUP:**

Aww, were you really that stressed about me?

_Yeah, where else was I going to get my headphones and electronics from?_

...wow, I feel loved.

 _Mmm, okay then_... _guess you don't want this..._

CRAP YOU, I WANT IT BACK!

_nuH-UH, Pidgeon, what's mine is yours!_

That doesn't-doesn't make sense in this situation-

_Ah-sorry, English phrases always get the best of me-but YEAH, BYE-_

LANCE-

**DAY 19:**

She's so incomprehensibly tired that she doesn't notice a certain princess waking up beside her.

"Where-where am I?" a quiet voice mutters. Pidge nearly jumped, jerking against the bonds.

"Ee-eejin?!"

Pidge jolts up, looking at a bedraggled and bloodied girl, her formerly-pristine lacey gown ripped to shreds, nothing given to her in replacement. It hangs off her unceremoniously, a disrespect for the princess.

"Who-who are you?"

Pidge's jaw hangs open in disbelief.

"You're joking right, Eejin?"

But the look on the Princess' face tells Pidge otherwise. Furrowed eyebrows, a blur expression.

Has...has Eejin forgotten her?

"It's me, Pidge, green paladin, I sat next to you at the ball, got fuckin' drunk-"

Pidge bursts into laughter akin to Veronica Sawyer, stupid and inappropriate, but there nonetheless.

Eejin raises her eyebrows.

"-danced with the blue paladin?" she ends it like a question, hoping it could jog her memory. Eejin isn't dumb, she doesn't just forget things. But yet she shakes her head, her matted hair flying around.

"What ball?"

_Lotor got to her._

Pidge can't even claim to be very good friends with the princess. But they had formed a friendship, a female friendship that she hasn't had for a long time. Allura was great, but the fact that she was authority did take a little away from it.

And now it's all gone.

Eejin.

He must have wiped at least a week or two from her head completely. But why? To get to Pidge? Or for Galaxor?

"What do you remember?"

Eejin frowns, as if struggling for a while, shaking her head with frustration.

"I don't even remember who I am!" she shouts, suddenly becoming extremely hysterical. Struggle after struggle, Eejin forces her arms against her bounds, kicking at her tattered skirt, releasing an overdue scream and falling limp again.

"I don't remember anything!"

Pidge looks at Eejin, with sallow face and body, so different from her beautiful and full self that Pidge had first met, her face more haggard and aged in only a few days of war.

Her eyes did it.

Her eyes, pleading and desperate, prompt Pidge to proactivity.

"Okay. I'll fill you in, but you're going to need to trust me. Maybe if you recover something, we can get out of here," Pidge declares, looking around the room. Literally bare, save for a few threatening torture devices in the corner. God, how primitive.

"Tell me everything," Eejin nearly begs, sounding more resolute, eyes pleading.

Pidge nearly wants to cry. Gone is the Eejin, bubbly alien princess, sweet and kind but also fucking intimidating when need be (something Pidge highly, highly respects), Eejin that she only knew for a day, Eejin who helped her with...Lance.

"Okay. So..."

~~~

"This looks so NSFW."

Damn straight it does.

Lance fights the urge to break out of the leather bonds tying him to a pole, unable to move.

"Well, you could let me out of here, and then we're back to G-rated goodness!" Lance sasses.

He's not pretending that the team acts differently towards him now. Now that he has a more sharp than flirtatious tongue, more raw and honest.

"You know what happens if we let you go, Lance," Keith reminds, "the last time we let you, you almost managed to pummel me to the ground and break for the Red Lion. We can't have that."

"Almost managed?" Lance scoffs, grinning mischievously. "Bitch, I pummelled your ass faster than you can say-"

"Lance!" Allura exclaims.

Why is Allura his freaking alarm clock now?

"Also, that sounded really wrong, so..." Hunk trails off, not looking at an infuriated Lance and Keith.

"But anyway, " Shiro cuts in, shooting glares at both Lance and Keith, "Lance, you either stay on the pole, on the chair, or you get locked up on your room. We didn't want to do this, but you've got to confess."

Something boils under Lance's skin, anger, annoyance, frustration. No, he can't fucking confess. He can't. He doesn't have-no, Pidge isn't here with him. He can't do it.

He doesn't know what's holding him back, but it sure as hell isn't the truth spell.

Lance huffs, wriggling uncomfortably.

"Can't we go rescue Matt? And Eejin? And King Andreas? And  _Pidge?!"_

"Lance, the cycle of planets is completely impenetrable right now: look, see," Allura points at her screen, displaying some kind of barrier between Lotor and Voltron. "It's created a barrier between us that Pidge only got through by jumping on Lotor's jetship."

"Yeah, so let's do that too!" Lance happily suggests.

.  
.  
.

"What?"

"Lance, we really need to get you fixed up," Shiro sighs. "You and Pidge both."

Lance already knows he's a lil inferior to the rest, that there's something that sets him apart, perhaps not in the good way. But to hear Pidge's name mentioned like that? It's strange.

"So I take that we can't break into Lotor's jetship?"

"NO."

~~~

**DAY 23:**

Pidge aches. Everywhere.

They definitely didn't tighten her bounds by fifty inches after yet another refusal to divulge information. Yep.

Wait.

Quiet voices?

_"He's escaped? Off the ship? How exactly did this happen?"_

_"-intelligent, clever, untraceable."_

Pidge hears a few loud thumps and screams, followed by the sound of running and panicked soldiers.

Interesting.

Pidge knows that Lotor isn't going all out. He definitely isn't. Simple verbal abuse and the bounds is nowhere near torture tactics.

He'd asked her about Voltron's plan, maybe yesterday? Pidge hadn't talked too much, mostly because Allura had kept Lance and her out of the know (which really, really pissed her off despite the sense that Allura had to do that).

Lotor had taken it as rebellion. Chained her tighter, shoved her back in the room with Eejin.

She's getting better. Remembering a bit. Still doesn't remember the night of the ball, but it's a start, going back to talking about food, dresses, favourite way to kill someone, and boys. It helps them both, really. Takes the mind of things. And that's the only thing Lotor has done right, make them prison roommates.

"Pidge, what do you think-what's his name again-ah, Lance," Eejin starts inquisitively, "how do you think he felt when you ran away from him?

Lance?

Oh.

"Upset, irritated at me, maybe? You see, I had just nearly kissed him like really romantic and all and confessed all my long-held and denied feelings for him but then we left to go protect Galaxor, which we lost anyway, and then I got pissed at everyone including him and just ran away to get Matt, who I might probably never see again because of my recklessness and Lance will think my last actions were to leave him, he won't ever know that I-"

Pidge chokes up, the words jamming in her throat, a loud cough and sudden tears in her eyes appearing despite herself. And then, everything starts rushing out, tears, pain, terror, hopelessness.

She might not make it out alive. Lotor won't want her alive once he finds out she really does know nothing.

She might not see Matt ever again, who's impossibly close and impossibly far at the same time.

She may not see her team again, because she had failed to think straight. No, it wasn't the truth spell's fault, it wasn't; she truly believed she had to go, the spell had simply helped her leave.

She may not see Lance again. Never tell him that she loves him, something she's denied and harboured for too long, never hug him ever again.

And even, on the small chance that she makes it out alive, she'd be stuck living truth for the rest of her life. Probably would never tell Lance, who knows?

Tears flow down her face, hot and heavy.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen," Eejin says softly. "If it makes you feel better, I'm sure that this Lance boy loves you very much."

"How do you know?" Pidge chokes out. "How do you know? You don't-dont remember him, you don't know how much he talks about Allura, as if she's the light of his life-I think she's his secret, the one that will set him free-and I'll be alone and unable to free myself-I'm not supposed to be so dependant on a man!" she screams. Pidge hears sudden footsteps pattering down the hallway, the rigid and clock-work like motion of the Galra sentients. Her words turn angry, with an air of something she can't quite place; hopelessness, sadness, faithless behaviour?

"I loved my brother, depended on him, and he disappeared. I loved my father, depended so much on him, and he disappeared. I-I can't afford to fall into the trap anymore, Eejin, I don't know how to fix this-"

"Pidge!"

The sentient's hand crushes down on Pidge's skull.

**DAY 26:**

It's like this for the rest of the week, and the few days after. The days blur incomprehensibly...

Lance doesn't know when he'll be set free, when he can be liberated from the confinement of his room or the watchful eyes of one of his friends at any given time. He's just trapped. All. The. Time.

With all the spare time, he-and the rest of the team-work on finding a way to break through the planetary barrier; simply waltzing through it wasn't exactly an option. Would you rather vaporise on the spot or be captured by the Galra for probably life?

Lance would go through either if it meant he could save Pidge.

Pidge.

How is she doing? Is she healthy? Safe?

A little voice questions if he's even alive, and Lance fills with dread.

Is that why Lotor didn't Skype-call them and demand something to return Pidge? Because she's-she's dead? Is the prince playing mind games with them?

Lance furiously storms in futile circles around the room. He needs to get out, he needs to find her! Honestly, he just wants to make sure she's safe; Pidge is the most capable and intelligent girl he's ever met, but she's also an intelligent girl under a spell that she can't control.

Pidge...he misses Pidge so much. Who knew what she meant in his life?

Maybe that small, genius techie from the Garrison had taught him some important lessons.

Sure, he had looked at Allura first. He admits that.

But maybe what he wanted wasn't what he needed? Who knew that he would want the smart one? Pidge, who deserves so much better than his shallow self, Pidge, who makes him smile, Pidge that he loves?

Lance isn't sure.

Can she return? Or does he have to fly out to find her? Has she confessed her secret, broken the spell, or is she unintionally feeding Lotor pivotal information?

Lance doesn't care what she tells them, if he has to give up his lion, Voltron, as long as she can return safe. Run back into his arms, where he'd hug her so tight and never let go. Tell her how he feels, for real, and save both of them.

It's a dream right now.

Lance needs to get out, and soon.

Before it's too late.

~~~

**DAY 27:**

Quiet whispers, murmurs, the air in the room deathly still.

There's no space in this room.

Pidge shakes.

It's not a room.

Pidge's eyes fly open with a jolt, and suddenly she feels something stabbing into her arm.

"Shit-!"

With the small light at the top of the room, Pidge tries her best to look around the not-room she was in.

A closet.

Lotor stuck her in a fucking closet.

Lotor stuck her in a  _fucking_ closet because she'd ranted. She  _ranted_.

Is that even a valid reason to stick someone in a closet?!

A torture closet???

God, it's about time to get out of the closet...

Pidge glances down at herself. She's stripped of the little bits of Paladin armour that Lotor hadn't cared enough to remove, and the Bayard that she had so carefully hidden, the little bits that might have protected her from each puncture.

Pidge can't really feel the pain now. It's not much compared to some other things she's been subjected to.

Okay Pidge, don't panic, don't panic...

Just do what you normally do. Be the computer. The brain of Voltron.

Pidge looks around, scanning the little area. One wall seems dotted with sharp, small spikes, the ones that had caused the river of blood now trailing out of her arm. The wall next to that has one rung on it around the back-level, which Pidge curiously touches.

Bam, bad decision, she flies back-first into the opposite wall, decorated with a nice (and jagged, and sharp, and possibly poisonous for all she knows) Galra rock mosaic.

And her world goes black.

Again.

~~~

Day of the mission. Save Galaxor and save Pidge. And Eejin, and Matt.

"Let's go, Lance."

The simple words sounded like  _fucking heaven_ to a guy trapped in occasional-solitary-confinement, and Hunk the angel delivering his prophecy. Beautiful.

Hunk smiles, bouncing on his toes.

"You know I can guess what your secret is, right?"

Impossible.

"No way-okay, maybe it's possible, I'm not exactly the most subtle guy," Lance rescinds, making a face to further emphasize the pure impossibility of the scenario that switches to a bashful grin.

Hunk scoffs, giving him a small knowing grin. Lance picks up his jacket, swinging it on and walking out of his prison alongisde Hunk. And for the first time in days, maybe a week, Lance doesn't feel the desire to run away. Ironic.

And he smiles.

"You haven't been cooped up in your room, I don't occasionally hear you scream Pidge's name, I haven't seen you infinitely more depressed because of a lack of Green Paladin," Hunk lists off, looking as if he could go with more. "But yes, I think you get my subliminal point."

"Gee, Hunk, when did you become so socially-intelligent?" Lance quips. The control room slowly comes into view, Allura helming the castle, the rest of the paladins already geared up.

"Since the Garrison, where you two were already probably the most shipped pair in class? #Plance trended, if you remember."

Wait, what? Lance does a double take, and Keith starts laughing, having overheard Hunk, giving him a simple low five.

"Even me, 'standoffish' outsider, got fifty thousand messages about it at one point-I think that was the day that you two were seen-"

"-Okay, that's enough!"

"Is this some kind of Earth tradition? Embarrassing friends? What is this shipping thing?" Allura blasts Shiro with a thousand questions a minute, which Shiro is surprisingly adept at answering at the same rapid-fire.

It takes Lance a while to notice what they're doing, all kind and happy and welcoming. Not cutting him off, not talking about work. Maybe they noticed the insecurity. The worry. Maybe they pity him.

For once, Lance has given up on caring about shit like that.

He feels comfortable among them. Like an equal. Like he isn't 'a boy from Cuba' among a princess, a hero, a prodigy, a genius. They're friends.

They are friends, close ones, equals, but they're missing someone very important, and they're going to get her back.

The mission begins now.

Of course, Lance had immediately volunteered to go on the rescue mission, solo. His first solo mission. Keith was due for a mission with the Blade of Marmora, working on researching Lotor's newest tactics, like the Galaxorian technology he had invaded the planet for. Allura, Shiro and Hunk were going to work on sourcing out the sentients controlling Galaxor. Hopefully take them out in the process.

And as Lance gets into his Lion for the first time in days (totally without some fun pickup lines thrown around), he makes one promise to himself. Honestly.

_The end is coming, Lance...tell...end...secret..._

That he's going to get his Pidge back, no matter what.

_Beware..._

Lance's hands grip tightly onto the controls of his Lion, speeding out into space, aiming right for the thin membrane stretched between a ring of planets.

_...the end._

Deadly.

~~~

**DAY 28:**

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Pidge is vaguely aware of the blood trail she's painting behind her as she wearily walks. Blood trickles from the tips of her fingers, little stabs in her chest, cuts covering her legs. She even looked a little...burnt. Probably from the multiple electric shocks. A blackened, peeling right foot.

She's pathetic. Dragging herself along the corridor as discreetly as she can.

Death would be easy now. The easy way out.

But she has to fight on. It's not just her that she's escaping for. She's fighting for Voltron, for Galaxor, for Eejin, for Matt...for Lance. She's the only one free to save them now.

Her eyes cloud over.

It had been no easy task escaping the the closet, the closet that she found had a trapdoor in the ceiling.

Swinging one bare foot to grip the electric ring, the other gripping it's best on the rock wall. Hands snatched out to push the trapdoor out and clamber onto the top.

It's impossible to describe the pain she felt. Electrifying, like needles ripping into her skin. Doesn't hurt now...she's gotten used to the pain.

But now she's tired, drained, and looking for her brother. Where could he be?

It was worth it, enduring the pain if only to see her brother again for even a minute. Matt.

Why does she feel so tired? Maybe it's the red liquid that will give her away in seconds, the drain from being repeatedly electrocuted, the likely poison flowing through her veins.

Pidge nearly collapses to the ground.

"Ka-Katie? Katie!" A panicked voice whispers tentatively, then screams.

Katie. Someone called her Katie. No one calls her Katie except...

Pidge isn't sure if she's imagining it when she sees a blurred image of Matt Holt running towards her.

And again, for the THOUSANDTH TIME, Pidge blacks out.

God freaking damnit.

~~~

The minute that Allura sets down on Galaxor, it's obvious that something is very, very wrong.

She's used to being greeted by King Andreas, by Princess Eejin running down the hall of the brightly lit, glittering castle to throttle her with an amazing hug.

There's none of that here.

Allura steps in the castle, whip at the ready, Shiro and Hunk following closely behind her.

There's a quiet echo of a song, ghostly emanating throughout the ghostly castle.

A dance turned evil.

Suddenly, something pierces into Allura's side, slams into her head, and the whole room breaks into chaos. Allura yells, jerks to the side.

Hundreds of thousands of sentient Galra, once hidden, emerge out of their hiding spots.

Ready to kill.

They're cornered. From every angle there is a Galra waiting to attack.

Allura feels stupid. It was obviously going to be a trap.

Now they're stuck in the centre of a room, surrounded by bloodthirsty robots, and only two fighters beside her and no way to the lions that they had parked outside.

Her heart thumps.

One.

Two.

One.

Two.

Allura breathes in. Readies herself.

With the power of a hurricane, Allura slams her whip on the rock hard ground, causing the whole floor to freeze, shatter and erupt, piercing the armour of and perfectly killing hundreds of rows of soldiers in droves.

Chaos ensues, and the battle begins.

~~~

Pidge is a little tired of randomly waking up in rooms. What's it been, five rooms, fifty blackouts?

But this time, she doesn't mind so much.

Turns out that she wasn't so drunk and high and kind of poisoned when she'd been stumbling in the hallway.

Matt, surprisingly tidy and neat, stands at the counter with back facing Pidge, casually cleaning a knife with a rag, a few bloodstains blooming on the cloth. He's taller than Pidge remembers, more bulked up and muscly than the nerd she remembers from home.

Matt.

Matt.

Matt!

With surprising strength, Pidge launches herself on Matt, hugging him from behind. Matt jolts, yelps, quickly swinging around to face her and realising that Pidge,  _Pidge his baby sister,_ is alive, throwing his arms around her.

"Ah, shit!" she winces, the bones of her back suddenly hurting again. Then she remembers the blood, the shock, the pain, and she crumples to the ground.

"Pidge!" Matt quickly supports her back, checking her like a medic. "Sit back down."

"I would say I'm okay, but I'm not," she groans. But she's not even thinking of the pain. She's thinking of how Matt is safe, healthy, strong. Alive, most importantly. Pidge nearly starts crying out of happiness, relief, thankfulness. Thank whatever gods there are in this universe for keeping him safe.

Pidge suddenly remembers the voices outside her cell. Talking about an intelligent, very clever prisoner who escaped the ship. And she takes on a stupid grin, realizing what her amazing brother had done.

"You're going to need more polyethan-"

"-They think you're off the ship," she breathes out, cutting Matt off. "You cloned your prisoner tag, hacked a ship-"

"-disabled the tag and learned the sentient's schedule to send the ship off and live here," Matt and Pidge finish in unison, making them chuckle. Just like old times.

"Why didn't you just leave? You had the opportunity to leave."

"I was going to leave, but then while I was accessing ship records I found records of the Green Paladin of Voltron. I mean, being a rebel officer comes with knowing these things-"

"-wait, you're a rebel officer?"

"-yes-"

"-that's so cool!"

"-you're a Paladin of Voltron, sis, that's even cooler!"

"That was completely coincidental, but thank you," Pidge answers. Matt simply grins with a doofus face.

"I knew you were going to make it someday, sis. But I guess that now that we're on a time crunch, we better get that Princess and get off this ship. But if you feel tired, hurt, if your wounds start hurting again, you  _must_ tell me."

"I can't, Matt. I have a mission. Even if I get hurt, I'm still going through with it."

Pidge curses the truth for appearing again. But she probably never would have answered Matt truthfully.

How did this happen? Genius siblings with a happy family turned galactic officers and paladins in an intergalactic war against a crazy purple alien species.

Matt helps her with her wounds, suits her up with what he has. Apparently her Bayard is still in her old room where Eejin is still locked up.

Step one: Find Eejin, and the Bayard.

Step two: Hack the ship, figure out how they're controlling Galaxor

Step three: Escape to the Castle.

Simple plan, easy plan. No problem.

Matt high-fives Pidge as they run out of the room, the legendary Holt duo reunited again.

~~~

"In position, Lance?"

Lance, with a steady grip on his Lion, nods resolutely. Keith jabbers something that he isn't really listening to.

"Boarding the ship now."

~~~

It doesn't take long for the Holt duo to navigate back to the original prison, hidden away in a secluded area of the ship. Two geniuses = no problems.

Looking around, Lotor seems a lot weaker than he was previously. Runs the ships on sentients, probably does the same for Galaxor, low on manpower and airpower. Hell, his defence had been an interplanetary cycle.

_Katie Holt...Pidge Gunderson...The end is near..._

"W-what?" Pidge stammers, The voice dissipates.

"You okay?" Matt asks, quickly walking up to her, machine gun bouncing on his hip.

"I'm good," Pidge answers, trying not to wince when she accidentally puts a little too much weight on her right foot.

"Don't go doing crazy stunts, you're nowhere near healed from Lotor's torture chamber. I was in there at one point."

Pidge notices the punctures on his arms. The little burns that don't want to go away.

"This should be the one." Pidge points the door, looking different on the outside. But she's sure it's hers.

Matt, with the power of god and anime on his side, effortlessly blasts the door open.

"Hyaiiiiiah!" he screams, as way of a battle cry. In that moment, Pidge doesn't understand how exactly her brother survived for so long.

Without hesitating, Pidge claps her hand on the mouth of her doofus brother, effectively shutting him up.

She pushes forward into the room.

And there's no Eejin, the bounds devoid of people. All Pidge sees is a dead body lying on the ground, the body of a Galra guard, stripped of armour. And this one was no sentient.

Her heart stops.

 _Shit_.

"Where's the princess?"

Pidge frantically searches the room for her Bayard, turning up with nothing. Nothing.

The little glimmer of hope she had when Matt appeared flickers out.

_Pidge...your time is up...coming..._

Wait.

"Pidge? Pidge!" a voice hisses from around the corner. Spinning around, Pidge instinctively whips out her blade, right into the face of Princess Eejin, wide-eyed as ever.

"Woah, woah, you can put that away now!" she exclaims, putting her hands up defensively. Pidge, stunned, lowers the blade. Then, she throws her arms around Eejin, hugging her tightly. So many reunions in one day.

Pidge lets go, noticing the slightly too-large armour hanging on her body. Eejin notices her gaze.

"Well, I escaped by getting that Galra soldier to release me. Guess I still have some good flirting left in here, those soldiers really will do anything for a snog," she chuckles. "Then I knocked him out using your weapon thing-Bayard, is it?" she checks, twisting around to pull something out from behind her. "Ah, yes, here you go."

"Thanks, Eejin." Pidge accepts the Bayard, firing it up and savouring the familiar feel of the grip in her hand. It takes her a while to realise that Matt hasn't said anything. Pidge whips around, finding Matt with his jaw hanging open, arms hanging open.

Pidge facepalms.

Now she remembers who Lance reminds her of.

Eejin smiles brightly at Matt, which makes him burn red.

"Hello, duplicate Pidge!"

Pidge bursts into laughter, barely able to contain herself.

"Pidge, she's so pretty what the hell-and squishable? And badass?" he mutters into her ear, with an air of astoundment. Pidge swats Matt away with a chuckle.

"It's good that we're getting to know each other well, but we really have to go now."

Matt and Pidge turn to leave, beckoning Eejin to join, but she grabs Pidge's wrist.

"Wait."

With a sense of urgency, she yanks them behind the very corner they'd been in. The three crouch together like a team huddle.

"I figured out how Lotor's controlling Galaxor, and why he wants my-MY planet so badly," she starts. "I've been getting some of my memory back, but I think Pidge filled up the gaps quite nicely. Lotor's using Galaxor's-the planet's natural ability-to implant memories or knowledge as if from thin air."

The ball.

Pidge in her dress. Lance dancing with her. The both of them magically-just magically knowing how to dance.  
Something clicks.

_Pidge...your time is coming..._

"I think he wants to harness that power. After all, Lotor is kind of a baby right now compared to Zarkon." She shrugs so cutely that it's funny, the way she says it.

God, she's missed Eejin.

"I hate to break up the reunion, but we have to go  _now,"_  Matt calls, looking from around the corner with a hand readying itself on his gun. Footsteps, perfectly synchronized, sound from a distance.

Eejin grabs Pidge's hand.

And they're off, running.

Matt, the resourceful and brilliant brother Pidge always remembered, sources the main ship records. Connections to the Galaxor records.

Upon encountering small groups of Galra, often in threes, they had no problem.

Matt whacks one over the head with his new-found staff, Eejin uses her deceptively great martial arts skills, and Pidge happily goes wild with her Bayard.

A high-five shared, and the small group enters the control room.

Eejin is by no, no means dumb, so she crouches down with Matt in front of the computer, brilliantly lit-up diagrams and images lighting up the large screen.

They quietly mumble like a bunch of pretentious philosophers. Pidge isn't used to being a defense mechanism rather than a thought machine, but native Eejin would undoubtedly be better for the job.

Pidge, standing at the sealed front entrance with two guns at the ready like a Texan cowboy and her Bayard slung on her waist, looks over her shoulder at the screen.

Dots and dots represnting the population.

White lines slowly, but surely becoming corrupted by dirty purple.

_Pidge...He's near..._

"Shut up!" she screams, shaking her head. Lance is a distraction right now.

Suddenly, she hears more footsteps, louder, unsynchronised, messy and frantic. These were real Galra. Real, live, terrifying Galra.

For a moment, she flashes back to Sendak, to his malicious grin. A memory she's always wanted to forget.

Hanging off the edge of an endless drop.

"Find the prisoners!" Pidge wakes up to the voice of Prince Lotor emanate intimidatingly throughout the corridor.

And they start coming. Throes of them, running in bunches. Pidge sees it all through the cameras, and they're headed straight for her.

All straight for her.

"Pidge!" Matt yells, turning around. Eejin continues to plow away at the computer, fingers flying, so focused that she does not seem annoyed by the disturbances. "Come on, I'll help you-"

She can't risk the mission. They're so close.

The purple bars nearly corrupt the entire screen.

Matt starts to head towards her, abandoning the computer. Eejin slows down.

Pidge has to make a split second decision.

Not like she really has the choice.

The truth spell will make it for her.

She glances back at the screen.

Wait.

Is that a flash of blue?

No  _way_.

Lance?!

That's enough.

She pushes Matt away, to which he howls angrily, screaming at him to finish the job.

Quickly, she launches herself out of the room, completely sealing off the door to the control room.

_Sorry, Matt._

And then she looks up, straight into the eyes of Prince Lotor.

~~~

They hadn't even won that battle. More like they were lucky to have even made it out alive.

The rubble that was the Castle glitters a macabre gold. A reminder of all they'd lost. Their failures.

It's disgusting.

Allura, clutching her arm, staggers out of the Castle with one mission on her mind. Get to the Lions. Shiro and Hunk, similarly ailing, follow behind her, talking about something that she's not listening to.

That's not even the full summary of their problems.

Lance and Pidge stuck on the ship, Keith stuck on a solo mission with the Blade, the team down a Lion, and those two aforemented idiots stupidly still refusing the confess the secret.

Maybe Lance is up to something. She doesn't know.

Where are the lions again?

She walks into the clearing where she remembers parking them. Yellow and Black waiting for her.

"Uh...Allura..."

"Wait."

Hunk stands nervously beside her, Shiro standing on guard on her other side. The three of them together.

The lions are there, majestic and proud, standing out clearly in the clearing of porcelain walls and white grasses.

But there's something amazingly off.

Hundreds, thousands of Galaxorians, their friends, bloody, cut up bodies and hollow faces, surrounding the Lions in droves like an undead army risen again. Ghostly, skinny, faces with bone showing through and a macabre smile.

_We are coming for you..._

All of them point out their finger, aimed right at the Princess, at Hunk, at Shiro. They don't move. Not even an inch.

 _What do we do?_ Allura can basically hear Hunk saying. Something tells her that they can't exactly just talk to them.

Lotor, the destructive bastard...Allura made a mental note to break his nose the next time they met.

Allura takes one tentative step forward.

And suddenly, brilliant blasts of light and laser start flying towards her, the Galaxorians growling hungrily, all moving forward two steps each. Allura slides down to her knees to avoid the onslaught, spinning her whip around her.

She wants to fight. Get back to the Lions.

But it would mean harming the Galaxorians, injured, possessed, likely already close to death.

And the whole time they stand on the field, tense, terrified, the same quiet tune plays like a loudspeaker over the planet.

The haunting melody of the Ballroom, twisted, warped. Playing over, and over, and over again.

_We are coming for you..._

~~~

"Pidge. Nice to see you," Lotor drawls, smiling.

"It's Gunderson."

"My mistake," he apologises sardonically, giving her a mocking bow.

Pidge takes the opportunity to kick him in the nose. Hard.

Lotor slowly gets up, laughing, commanding his soldiers to stay back. But the laugh turns to something more sinister within a matter of seconds.

Pidge sees someone dressed in white flash beside her out of the corner of her eye.

"My name is Prince Lotor. You broke my nose. Prepare to die."

With a scream, the battle begins.

~~~

Meanwhile, Princess Allura is fighting for her life.

It would be easier if she were fighting opponents she could kill, strike down, defend against without a second thought. But now, she is being swarmed by thousands, tens of thousands of Galaxorians, their slow approach suddenly becoming a speedy onslaught.

One of them pulls at her bunned-up hair. It's a child. A  _child_. Beaten up face, blood cuts on her arms and legs, the child laughs mercilessly, eyes devoid of emotion, of childlike wonder and happiness. A  _child_. Lotor has never seemed worse than now. Taking the lives, consciousness of the innocent, the children, the elderly, all for himself.

Allura cannot fight. She wants to, so, so badly, whack Lotor on his arrogant ass, but Lotor's up there in the air, and she's down here on the ground.

There are so many that she can't even see Shiro and Hunk anymore.

She endures hits, at best able to deflect with her arm or her shield. But whatever damage she deals now will stay when they wake. Allura takes every hit with honor and bravery; better it be her than them.

She doesn't know what to do.

The Lions move further and further from her sight.

_Pidge...please...Lance..._

~~~

Pidge has to slide under legs, slashing her Bayard as she quickly navigates as a small person under tall legs, screams and shouts and sounds of confusion filling the air.

It's satisfying to watch them fall.

Pidge doesn't hold back, moving so fast and dodging blows and kicking Galra in the nose.

Should be her signature move.

"Pidge!"

Lance. Lance!

"Lance!" she screams, frantically abandoning her earlier task to scan the crowd for Lance. Nowhere to be seen. Lotor seems to have disappeared, the arrogant,cowardly bastard, so Pidge settles for angrily slapping (actually bitch slapping) a soldier in the face followed up with a solid punch to the gut.

Her only advantage here is her agility, her size.

"Pidge!"

_Close...end is near...almost there..._

"Shut up!" Pidge yells, clutching at her head, nearly losing her grip on the Bayard. The voices in her head...they hurt, they haunt.

She's so close.

But if she doesn't fight her way out of this, she'll have that voice in her head telling her what to do, and Pidge is scared that she'll always obey, like she doesn't have a mind of her own.

Pidge has to pull herself together.

Even if she can't see Lance...she can imagine him. Fight with him like they always do.

Pidge spins around, judging from her position, totally surrounded, that fighting is actually the worst option here.

What choice does she have?

She barrels through, that's what. Pure instinct, no brain necessary, Pidge jumps back into the battle.

The sheer number of now-gleeful Galra soldiers keeps her from Lance, on the other side.

So what will she do?

Fight her way through.

For a moment, she almost sees Lance fighting by her side. She imagines the soldier that's coming for her is struck down by his sharpshooting from the side, which he is. Pidge ducks, wrapping a bunch of their legs together using her Bayard, neatly tying them in a bundle.

Then, with a grin that scares the shit out of the soldiers, Pidge electrocutes them all in one clean shot.

"I would say I didn't want to do that, but I did want to, and I can't lie," Pidge snarls savagely. A soldier sticks out a knife at her.

She shocks him again.

Blowing her hair out of her face as if she were the badass girl in the superhero spy movie, Pidge scans the room, the scene of the battlr. How is it humanly possible that she got most of the soldiers with her Bayard, the other group all taken down by clean headshots?

Most importantly, where the hell is Lance?!

Suddenly, in her distraction, she's kicked by a soldier in the side, making her fall, pushing her with immense speed to her side. And with that, Pidge lets go of the Bayard.

And in impossible time, the soldiers begin to all attack her. All at the same time.

A whack there.

A hit on the chest.

Reopening the old wounds.

Pidge hears screaming, tentative gunshots, the soldiers dropping one by one.

The ones that don't die run away.

Cowards.

If they came for her, surely that means Matt and Eejin did their job?

Or they don't care anymore.

Maybe they're like Pidge. All instinct, no brain.

Ow.

Does her head hurt now? Pidge is so numb from everything. Vaguely, she registers a presence rushing to her side, with eyes rapidly fluttering shut. Familiar hands, now beaten up and scratched, hold her side gently, whispering in her ear.

Everything is painful.

She sees Matt and Eejin run out of the room, screaming bloody murder, how Lotor had remotely stopped their hacking from another room, how they need an amazingly large energy outburst, or something like that.

_Pidge...wake up, Pidge..._

"Lance! Have you gotten them out yet?"

Who's voice is that?

Wait.

Lance?

Lance!

Pidge opens her eyes blearily.

There he is, illuminated only by the neon lights, breathing heavily.

She stares at Lance, tired, beat-up, but still  _Lance._

"Pidge!" he exclaims, mildly startled. Her mouth drops open, his hand dropping his gun. "Are you-"

She's running.

And all of a sudden, Pidge is kissing Lance, wrapping her arms around him, and Lance cradles her, carrying her up, kissing her in return.

Pidge gets lost in the moment, in the daze of the feeling. How nice, great it feels, finally having  _her_ Lance. His lips are soft, surprisingly so, her hands entangling in his hair, his hands moving slightly on her waist as if never wanting to let her go. And he shows it too, the desperation of the kiss, the feeling of finality. Day twenty eight. She forgets all about the fact that they're on a dangerous ship, they've got an invaded alien planet to save, and they could he killed at any moment. She kisses him.

She feels only him, only him.

Finally, they break off, now  _much_  more alert, awake, and actually motivated to live. Both of them definitely red, still in each other's arms, Pidge breathlessly speaks, a little dizzy, a little stunned, very happy. Lance bashfully grins, and that little smile strikes Pidge in the heart  _so hard._

"I think there's something we better confess? Now?"

"Yeah-yeah, well..."

Lance seems to find it difficult to speak, choose the right words. Pidge supposes that it's been a while since they've both had to actually thinking about what to say : she's used to the spell doing the work. But now, for this momentous secret, they finally get some freedom of choice back for themselves.

Pidge coughs, and Lance looks up from his feet to look at her.

"If you don't mind, I'll go first."

Pidge coughs, twiddling her feet a bit, adjusting the ill-fitting glasses that Matt had provided, mannerisms akin to delivering a speech..

"The first day I met you, I thought you were arrogant. Lovesick. An idiot, to summarise." Lance noticeably falls at this less-than-stellar beginning, but Pidge moved to hold his face, her thumb gently stroking his cheek, Lance's eyes following her every little movement. "But I was also ignorant, close-minded, and prejudiced. Prejudiced because I thought I'd met guys like you before. But you were nothing like them. You surprised me. You changed to a guy that I'd never be into, into, well, a guy that I'd kinda be into. Suddenly, you were smart, clever, kind, caring, supportive, generous, and always there for me. Even when I tried to push you away at the Garrison, you didn't let me. Thank you for that." Pidge coughs, clearing her throat again, oblivious to the fact that Lance looks like he's either going to cry or kiss her again. "I think, I think what I'm trying to say is that I care for you very much...almost to the point where I can say I love you."

Pidge huffs out nervously, finished. Lance doesn't respond except with a glittering stare, parted lips, and a stunned expression.

She's terrified of confessions.

Lance doesn't hesitate, letting go of Pidge (a little saddening for her, frankly) , taking her hands in his, slowly turning them over, giving them a gentle and reassuring squeeze. He looks her over, every damaged, broken bit of her. Pidge holds her breath, preparing for disappointment.

Lance has always looked for the pretty, the hot. She's not on that parameter right now.

"You're beautiful, do you know that?" he says slowly, getting started.

What?

Pidge flushes, looking up at Lance, stunned. He chuckles a bit at her expression. "See, this scar here shows how you fought your way to your brother. This bruise here shows how you endured the torture of the Galra. The little marks here show how you just near-singlehandedly destroyed a group of oversized purple aliens." Lance slowly traces up her arm as he goes. "You're beautiful, Pidge Gunderson, in the best ways possible, even if you don't believe it. I know I used to believe only in the beauty of appearances...you made me appreciate, love the beauty on the inside and the outside. You're beautiful for both, holy shit." Pidge gapes a little bit at the confession. She's never heard Lance speaking like this before. "You're brilliant, resilient, amazing..." Lance's tone changes, quieter, more wistful. "and that's why I have to tell you how  _godawfully bad_  I have it for you right now. I never thought I'd say this to anyone but God, Pidge, I love you, so much."

Pidge is nearly crying, Lance is smiling like a lovesick doofus, and Pidge can't hold it back anymore.

She's kissing Lance again, differently this time, gently and slow, less like the passion-filled reunion. It's a kiss filled with love, and nothing else, with truth, honesty, baring themselves to each other.

_I love you._

Suddenly, a blinding white light flashes from in between them, forcing them apart, a brilliant blue and green streak spiralling up into the top of the ship.

Truth.

The brilliant light fills the room.

_I love you._

Pidge grabs on to Lance's hand, Eejin taking hold of Matt, and together they run towards the Lions as fast as they can.

She hears screams in the distance. Lotor screams, yells, growls, barking orders at his men, half of whom were now dead.

_I love you._

Lance and Pidge watch the ship burst into a blinding, beautiful, star of light.

~~~

It all goes quiet.

Suddenly, they all drop one by one. Purple bodies start to fill the green grassy grounds, eyes glazing over and body falling limp with each one.

Are they dead, asleep, conscious?

And then, like the mystical rebirth, Allura, Shiro and Hunk watch as they all awake one by one, like dazed characters in a film. Watch as they stroke at their now-matted and torn and ripped skin, some in wonder and curiosity, others in horror and terror; what they did do, they think?

But if there's one thing for them all to be grateful for...

It's that they're alive.

~~~

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me a truth. Willingly."

"Eejin is threatening to cut my balls off if I hurt you right now. What a weird backseat driver."

"You're the worst."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

~ **DAY 28: ONE MONTH:END~**

Eejin drops one final bomb on them. Team Voltron, save for Allura who stands beside Eejin in all her Altean royalty glory, stands beside her in the castle on Galaxor, half the front wall obliterated.

The Galaxorians, all in lines, stand facing their new Queen.

Eejin gives Pidge and Lance (totally not holding hands) a knowing wink before she takes in a deep breath.

"Galaxor can never return to what it was. We don't have our technologies, ruthlessly corrupted by the Galra to the point of no return. My planet is damaged, broken, plundered. My people...I do not want to talk about what unspeakable horrors he did to them. Even I am no longer the person I used to be; Lotor managed to rob even that. But mostly, I am so, so sorry that you had to suffer the way you did."

She stumbles a little, her words catching in her throat.

Allura grips Eejin's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. They share a look that it seems that only they can understand; maybe it's the feeling of a lost nation, planet, father.

Maybe it's something more.

Pidge lets her head fall on Lance's shoulder, Lance letting his hands gently rest on her waist. They pretend not to notice the eyebrow wiggles and implying smiles on the faces of the team.

"My father didn't make it out of the ship alive. My memories of him, what was not robbed from me, was of his greatness of a leader, his kindness to the people, his love towards me. I hope I can become a leader like him for you in the future, beginning with our alliance with Voltron, our saviour."

"She's going to make a great queen, don't you think?" Lance whispers in Pidge's ear. The crowd applauds raucously, Team Voltron joining in.

"Yeah."

~~~

**FINAL NARRATION: HERE YOU GODDAMN GO ALLURA, YOU BETTER MAKE A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY OUT OF THIS MASTERPIECE**

Wasn't that a rollercoaster?

_You're telling me._

Hey, in one month, we attended a ball, learnt about magical Galaxorian mind-intelligence transfer, fought for the safety of a high-risk planet, beat the shit out of Lotor's soldiers, got beat the shit out of, then we vaporized his ship-and hopefully Lotor too, that bastard.

_That was a lot of word vomit. Don't forget the actual vomit-_

-shut up-

_-Hey, you were really cute alien-drunk. Like flirty and hot and really cute-not that you're not always these things anyway-_

Mmhhmm, you're too sweet, Lance.

You know, I've got to admit, these narrations kind of helped. It's like reliving the whole torturous, terrible, terrifying, tormenting-

_-okay, that's enough poetic alliteration. But you're right. We've reflected. And I now know that I can never again look Keith in the face without him rubbing that whole 'he was like an idol' thing IN MY FACE-_

-Just come here, Lance, I think we're done with this recording. Thanks for listening to our random and rather terrible narration, we hope you enjoyed the experience!

-y _eah, I'm totally not about to get hickeys in T-minus five minutes_ -

-shut up!-

- _you're red, Pidgey, but I bet I can make you redder-_

-okay OKAY STOP FOR A MOMENT I'M DISTRACTED NOW-Thank you again for listening, and if there's one thing to learn; honesty is the best policy, especially if you ever have to deal with revealing some terrible, hidden truths when drugged by a purple alien prince. Okay, we're out!

**\-----------END OF NARRATION---------**

The camera clicks off, and the final tape is labelled and packed away. Allura better be happy.

The room is quiet, mostly, save for some quiet noises and whispers.

"God, Lance, we actually need to go for that mission on Galaxor," Pidge reminds, laughing as she dodges her boyfriend's weak attempts at getting kisses as she darts out of her chair in the vlog room. "Allura's going to barf when she hears the audio clips."

"Well," Lance starts, giggling when he accidentally boops noses with Pidge, "she always wanted us to get together." Lance kisses her on the neck, finally successful for once, and Pidge just melts, a goofy smile appearing on her face. God, how did she get so lucky?

She finally gives in, pushing him off her and returning the kiss.

"C'mon, Pidge, can't we just skip the mission?" he whines, chokes out. At this point, Lance is still in his chair with an annoyed Pidge straddling his lap, wondering how he got so lucky. He laughs, tickling her before she gets too feral. "It's only a diplomatic mission..."

Pidge licks her lips, parched from the multiple hickeys she'd given Lance just to be funny, and Lance presses a kiss to her forehead, nuzzling his face in her neck. She's so comfortable to hug, gosh, like they're a perfect fit.

They are, aren't they?

"To be honest, I'd love that. But we have a job to do."

Pidge stands up, offering her hand to Lance, smiling.

She's the only one in his eyes, illuminated by the camera light even in the darkly-lit room where they've had one too many 'adventures' in, like an angel offering her hand.

Who knew what the truth would bring, huh?

Lance doesn't hesitate, gripping her hand tight, pulling her in for one last kiss.

And they're off, running.

"Truth or dare, Pidge?"

Pidge never hesitates to answer that question now.

"Truth."

"Do you love me?"

"No doubt. And you?"

"What do you think?"

"Yes?"

"Honestly, yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...that is the end of this work! Phew, a doubly-long chapter at the end totally didn't kill me to write...hehe. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, thank you extra if you left me a kudos or comment!
> 
> Please do check out the rest of this Bang's work, it's all phenomenal, and please please check out my artist @mclanchez-dictionary on Tumblr! In my opinion, she did so well on these artworks!
> 
> Thank you guys, I hope you enjoyed! :-D


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